Social Care News

Consultation on the use of the ‘dementia’ category in care homes in Wales

Consultation on the use of the ‘dementia’ category in care homes in Wales    http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JZWHZMW

• Currently in Wales, the Care and Social Services Inspectorate (CSSIW), the regulating body for adult social care, requires a care home to have gained registration within the ‘dementia category’ if they provide care for people with a dementia.
• But in reality it is likely that many people with dementia are being cared for in places without the dementia registration. Current estimates suggest that two thirds of care home residents have a dementia, but only a third of care home beds are registered for the dementia category.
• There is an argument that the current practice offers a disincentive to diagnose dementia in those who are already resident in a care home, in case they are required to move to a home registered within the dementia category.
• Others argue that a dementia diagnosis in itself says little about a person’s needs, and it is ensuring that the person’s needs are met which should be the focus.
• In England, categories of registration are no longer used. Instead, people are encouraged to refer to the care home’s ‘statement of purpose’ when deciding whether a care home can meet the needs of a person with dementia.

These and related issues have prompted the CSSIW to commission DSDC Wales to undertake a consultation in relation to the potential impact of making changes to the categorisation of care homes in relation to dementia care in Wales. We would be most grateful for your views on the current situation, which will inform our recommendations concerning the potential impact of discontinuing the use of the ‘dementia category’.  
We would be extremely grateful if you could follow the link below and respond to the questions within the next two weeks. All answers will remain confidential.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JZWHZMW

For further details contact:

Professor Bob Woods
DSDC Wales, Bangor University,
43 College Road, Bangor LL57 2DG
Tel: +44 1248 383719
e-mail: b.woods@bangor.ac.uk
web-site: www.bangor.ac.uk/dsdc
DSDC – the Bangor Centre for Research & Development on Dementia Care Services