Carers Trust delighted to see new dementia guide recognised by MPs

A joint project to create a definitive guide for dementia care, undertaken by the Carers Trust and Royal College of Nursing, has been acknowledged in Parliament this week as ideal material for health and social care professionals.

Research behind the new guide ‘Triangle of Care’ was undertaken thanks to funding from the RCN Foundation Grants Programme, expanding on the previous Carers Trust model to bring in a wider range of expertise from practitioners, carers experienced in the challenges of dementia and adults actually diagnosed with a condition.

Key aspects of the new guide include ways in which service users can be better involved in the decision-making process of their own care, as well as pinpointing critical points of caring roles when pitfalls and negative outcomes are most likely to occur.

Carers Trust chief executive Thea Stein is pleased with the results so far, saying: “Since Carers Trust created the Triangle of Care, we have seen how it can make a significant difference to carers and the quality of care provided to the person they care for. Building on this progress, the partnership between Carers Trust and the Royal College of Nursing has been incredibly positive and we hope that this can be replicated across health services with nurses and carers working as partners.”

RCN chief executive and general secretary Dr Peter Carter also comments: “We are very pleased to see this excellent piece of work officially launched in Parliament. When people with dementia go into hospital, it is essential that their carers not only feel included and involved in their care, but play an integral role in it.

“Carers often have their own needs and should be offered information and support. They also have a lot to offer health care staff, as they are often the ones who know the person best. No one is better placed to advise on a person’s needs and how their dementia affects them than a carer who has known them for years.”

The Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust and the Greater Manchester West Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust are two hospitals that have pioneered the guide’s methods, both of which are in MP Hazel Blears’ constituency.

Ms Blears, whose mother is diagnosed with dementia, comments: “Carers are usually family members or close friends of people with dementia, so they understand them better than anyone.

“Doctors and nurses should therefore work closely with both carers and dementia patients to ensure they have all the information they need to provide the best possible care and treatment.

“This will also help them to provide the right help and support for carers, who do a wonderful job in caring for their loved ones, and in doing so, relieve the burden on the NHS.”

“The Triangle of Care is a great way of ensuring staff, patients and carers talk to one another in all hospitals and I am delighted that Salford Royal has been leading the way in adopting this best practice.”

A copy of the guide can be downloaded here: static.carers.org/files/the-triangle-of-care-carers-included-final-6748.pdf