Dementia – Care in General Hospitals (NAD)
The National Audit of Dementia (NAD) has published a report on Care in General Hospitals 2023-2024, which underscores the need for a continued strong focus on governance, monitoring and oversight of dementia care.
Many hospitals lack a reliable mechanism to identify people with dementia on (or soon after) admission
This report found that dementia is the biggest risk factor for delirium, with early detection of delirium improving patient outcomes. Screening rates for delirium have continued to improve to 92% in the current audit round, however, there is still reliance on history taking alone as a screen (only 44% of screens were done using structured delirium assessment).
Based on the findings in this report, the NAD restates a number of previously identified priorities, including a need to:
- Identify and record the number of people with dementia admitted to acute settings
- Monitor adverse events – 23% of hospitals reported no monitoring systems in place in 2024 (an increase from 21% in 2023)
- Develop up-to-date personal information documents – 9 hospitals reported finding no patients with a document
- Deliver dementia awareness training
- Improve carer engagement, and
- Deliver structured pain assessments.
This report also includes three recommendations for improvement, including calls to ensure that all people with dementia admitted acutely to hospital are screened for delirium across clinical pathways using the 4-question 4AT, and to routinely gather personal information.
Read the full report: You can see all key findings and read the report in full by clicking on the link below.
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