Northumberland Older Age Community Pathway – Dementia Diagnosis Care Home Project

We are providing a care home memory assessment team to improve identification and diagnosis of dementia in care homes across Northumberland.

Evidence suggests that an average of 69% of people in care homes have dementia, many of which do not receive a formal diagnosis which can impact negatively on future care planning and decision-making.

The team will use the Diagnosing Advanced Dementia Mandate (DiADeM) assessment tool, which includes cognitive assessment and history taking. The specialist nurse will speak to family and carers as part of the assessment. They will also review any anti-psychotic medications that may have been prescribed.The team will use the Diagnosing Advanced Dementia Mandate (DiADeM) assessment tool, which includes cognitive assessment and history taking. The specialist nurse will speak to family and carers as part of the assessment. They will also review any anti-psychotic medications that may have been prescribed.

Following the screening, the team will review the assessment findings with senior healthcare staff at Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust memory assessment services and report the diagnosis to the GP, relatives, and the care home. We will aim to provide any diagnosis within one month of our initial assessment

The team will be able to advise the care home team about care planning and signpost families and carers where appropriate.

There are no risks in relation to this assessment process; however it is acknowledged that it can be distressing for people being told about a formal diagnosis of dementia.

• Improved understanding of the person’s needs and a specialist assessment which may identify other treatable conditions such as depression
• Other health and social care professionals will know about the diagnosis and will be better able to support the person with dementia
• Family members can access appropriate advice and information about dementia and its effects
• The diagnosis can inform future care planning and decision-making with regards to treatment and symptom control
• The team will review any prescribed antipsychotic medication and may suggest alternatives.
• Better targeting of pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapeutic treatments
• Give advice and support

Will this mean I (the person I care for) will have to move?
No. A diagnosis of dementia will help the care home team to identify and understand your needs and may improve their ability to meet your needs.

Will I (the person I care for) need lots of investigations?
No. Unless there is a significant clinical need identified by the assessing team. In such instances you and/or those who support you will be involved in discussing the options and the decision-making process.

If you want to make a comment, suggestion, compliment or complaint you can:
• talk to the people directly involved in your care
• ask a member of staff for a feedback form, or complete a form on the Trust website www.cntw.nhs.uk (click on the ‘Contact Us’ tab)
• telephone the Complaints Department 0191 245 6672
• email [email protected] Please note that information sent to the Trust via email is sent at your own risk
• We are always looking at ways to improve services. Your feedback allows us to monitor the quality of our services and act upon issues that you bring to our attention.
You can provide feedback in the following ways:
– the quickest way for you to do this is to complete our short online survey at www.cntw.nhs.uk/poy
– complete a Points of You survey, available from staff.

Jo Rowsell, Pathway Manager
Tel: 01670 844 730

Ruth Cook, Advanced Clinical Nurse Practitioner
Tel: 01665 608 000

Alzheimer’s Society
Tel 01670 813 255, 9am – 4.30pm Mon-Fri
email [email protected]

Admiral Nurse dementia helpline
Tel: 0800 888 6678, 9am to 9pm Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm Sat-Sun.
Open Bank Holidays, except 25th December
email [email protected]

Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
Tel: 0800 032 02 02 9am- 4.30pm, Mon-Fri
Text: 01670 511 098
email [email protected]

Kings College and the London College of Economics. Prince, M et al (2014) Dementia UK: Update Second Edition report produced by King’s College London and the London. [Online]. http://www.dementiastatistics.org/.
Available at: http://www.dementiastatistics.org/statistics/care-services/ [Accessed 22 December 2022].

Further information about the content, reference sources or production of this leaflet can be obtained from the Patient Information Centre. If you would like to tell us what you think about this leaflet please get in touch.

This information can be made available in a range of formats on request (eg Braille, audio, larger print, easy read, BSL or other languages). Please contact the Patient Information Centre
Tel: 0191 246 7288

Published by the Patient Information Centre

2023 Copyright, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust

Ref, PIC/880/0123 January 2023

www.cntw.nhs.uk Tel: 0191 246 7288

Review date 2026