Dementia Carers Receive Less Training Than Baristas, Study Reveals
More than half of adult social care staff begin caring for patients without any dementia-specific training, according to new research. The Alzheimer's Society is now demanding mandatory training after highlighting that baristas often receive more instruction to make coffee than care workers do to support vulnerable adults with dementia.
Research Findings on Training Gaps
The charity collaborated with the Centre for Dementia Research at Leeds Beckett University and the IFF Research agency, reviewing 119 training packages across 53 social care providers in England. They discovered that fewer than half, specifically 47%, of social care staff received dementia training as part of their induction process.
Half of the dementia training packages for carers included only one or two hours of dementia-specific content. Just over 39% of the training was delivered at the level recommended for staff who regularly care for people with dementia. Additionally, only 52% of surveyed staff reported feeling very competent in the care they were providing.
Calls for Government Action
Most dementia care is provided through social services rather than the NHS, but the Alzheimer's Society asserts that the government must make training mandatory through the NHS. Around one million people in the UK have dementia, a figure expected to rise to 1.4 million by 2040.
Michelle Dyson, chief executive at the Alzheimer's Society, emphasized that gaps in training can put people with dementia at risk of inadequate care. She stated, 'One hour of dementia training doesn't even scratch the surface. Anything less than comprehensive training leaves care workers unprepared, coping with situations they haven't been equipped for, which can put people with dementia at risk of inadequate care.'
Dyson added, 'Baristas can receive more training to make great coffee than care workers receive to provide dementia care. Care staff want and deserve better; they need dementia training which gives them the skills and confidence to deliver the best possible care.'
Industry and Government Responses
The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services encourages upskilling and adequate training for care staff working with dementia patients. President Jess McGregor commented, 'Our social care system is vastly underfunded and we need a proper plan and funding to support the provision of training, and to ensure that all care workers have access to comprehensive professional training and are reimbursed to attend.'
Last month, Baroness Louise Casey, who is leading a major review into adult social care in England, suggested that dementia is not given the necessary focus in healthcare because it generally affects retired elderly people. She called for investment in dementia trials to be urgently scaled up and for a new full-time dementia tsar to be appointed.
The Department of Health and Social Care responded, stating it is 'accelerating work to transform dementia care and research, including by creating a dementia leadership role to drive forward action.'
