A new framework has been launched to support health and social care staff who work with people living with dementia and their carers, by Health Education England (HEE).
The Dementia Core Skills Education and Training Framework sets out the essential skills and knowledge necessary for all staff involved in dementia care and will enable organisations to:
- Standardise the interpretation or dementia education and training
- guide the focus and aims of dementia education and training delivery through key learning outcomes
- ensure the educational relevance of dementia training
- improve the quality and consistency of education and training provision
Lisa Bayliss-Pratt, director of nursing at HEE, said: 'By April 2015, over 500,000 staff had undertaken dementia awareness training. This new framework will underpin and enhance future education, and will be an extremely valuable tool not only for those involved in day-to-day care, but also for those who provide training.
'I am confident that it will help make sure that there is a more efficient and consistent approach to the delivery of dementia training and education.'
It is set out as 14 separate subjects which each subject adressing the target audience, the learning outcomes and links to relevant guidance.
The framework builds on previous activity to develop standards and frameworks for dementia education and training such as the London Dementia Strategic Clinical Network Guide to dementia training and a Higher Education South West project to develop a framework.
The framework was commissioned and funded by the Department of Health and the development was led by Skills for health and Health Education England in partnership with Skills for Care and in collaboration with a number of key stakeholders and experts in dementia care.
The World Dementia Council recently released it's update report highlighting the progress made in dementia diagnosis and treatment since the G8 dementia summit in December 2013. The government has so far invested £15million into dementia research.