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This study aims to explore the utility of collaborative knowledge sharing with stakeholders in developing and evaluating a training programme for health professionals to implement a social intervention in dementia research.

The programme consisted of two phases: 1) development phase guided by the Buckley and Caple’s training model and 2) evaluation phase drew on the Kirkpatrick’s evaluation model. Survey and interview data was collected from health professionals, people with dementia and their supporters who attended the training programme, delivered or participated in the intervention. Qualitative data was analysed using the framework analysis.

Seven health professionals participated in consultations in the development phase. In the evaluation phase, 20 intervention facilitators completed the post one-day training evaluations and three took part in the intervention interviews. Eight people with dementia and their supporters from the promoting independence in dementia feasibility study participated in focus groups interviews. The findings show that intervention facilitators were satisfied with the training programme. They learnt new knowledge and skills through an interactive learning environment and demonstrated competencies in motivating people with dementia to engage in the intervention. As a result, this training programme was feasible to train intervention facilitators.

The findings could be implemented in other research training contexts where those delivering research interventions have professional skills but do not have knowledge of the theories and protocols of a research intervention.

This study provided insights into the value of collaborative knowledge sharing between academic researchers and multiple non-academic stakeholders that generated knowledge and maximised power through building new capacities and alliances.

The purpose of this paper is to report on a service evaluation of a competency-based dementia training programme for clinicians to establish its value in improving their knowledge and confidence of dementia care and to explore any resulting changes to practice.

Mixed method quantitative and qualitative data, using rating scales and focus group discussions (FGDs), were collected. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to analyse changes in the responses to the rating scales of knowledge and confidence and thematic analysis of FGDs was undertaken to identify staff perceptions of the impact of training on their practice.

In total, 162 qualified and clinical support staff undertook the training. A significant change in knowledge and confidence scores was found on all three scales. In general, feedback on the course was positive. Seven themes, demonstrating the relevance of the training to practice, emerged from the FGDs – experiential training awareness of diagnosis, approach, understanding, communication, risk, changed practice and going forward.

Providing competency-based dementia training for large numbers of staff can have a positive effect on the care delivered to patients with dementia.

Healthcare organisations have a responsibility to ensure their staff have the training to provide quality care for patients living with dementia. This paper suggests this can be achieved through a collaborative, multi-disciplinary approach involving co-production and best practice guidance.

Education and training is vital in improving age-related care provisions. However, a lack of awareness and understanding of dementia could be a factor in meeting the age-related needs of people. This paper aims to examine the impact dementia education has on caregivers’ confidence to provide person-centred care for people with intellectual disability and identifies additional training needs.

A systematic scoping review was completed using preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses to guide the process of mapping existing evidence of dementia education and training programmes available to caregivers of people with intellectual disability.

A search of five electronic databases identified 11 articles that reported on the role of dementia education in improving the knowledge of caregivers in effectively delivering the age-related care. Findings suggest that improved training provision is needed to support early diagnosis and increase caregivers’ confidence in meeting the physical and psychological needs of older adults with intellectual disability.

This review contributes to the literature by identifying the value of and need for continued development in dementia education and training to improve person-centred dementia care.

The purpose of this paper is to explore multidisciplinary attitudes and environmental factors affecting dementia care in the Cardiac Catheter Laboratory (CCL).

Questionnaires (n=87) were distributed in a hospital CCL in the North of England. The authors utilised the Dementia Attitudes Scale which incorporates two subscales: Social Comfort and Dementia Knowledge. In addition, a newly devised questionnaire asking about perceptions of how the CCL environment affected care of patients with dementia was added.

The response rate was 71 per cent (n=62). Years’ experience in the CCL was associated with lower Social Comfort scores (p=0.026). Dementia training was associated with higher mean Dementia Attitudes Scale and Social Comfort scores (p=0.021, p=0.007). Participants who had undertaken “Professional studies” had higher Dementia Attitudes Scale and Dementia Knowledge mean scores (p=0.038, p=0.046) but “On-the-job” training was perceived as most beneficial (32 per cent, n=20). Unit co-ordinators and nurses felt the CCL was an unfavourable environment for patients with dementia. Care was perceived to be impaired by environmental functionality, equipment and the presence of ionising radiation.

The small sample limits generalisability. Although the Dementia Attitudes Scale is a validated questionnaire it has not been widely used so reliability of these results is unclear.

Caring for patients with dementia has unique challenges especially in areas like the CCL. These results suggest that practical experience and training can affect the perception of staff to patients with dementia hence there may be a need to assess what would be the most appropriate training to give health professionals in the future.

The authors believe this to be the first multi-professional research study into care of patients with dementia in a specialised acute unit. This was the most diverse sample known to have attitudes to dementia measured quantitatively in an acute hospital department and the results need to be replicated before practice should be changed.

People with dementia require care at home, in care homes and in hospitals, which has implications for the current and future workforce in health and social care. To inform regional workforce development planning in dementia care, Health Education East of England commissioned an organisational audit of current dementia training at NHS Trusts and in social care across Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Qualitative methods and non-probability purposive sampling were used for recruitment and data collection. The audit included NHS Trusts, local authorities, clinical commissioning groups, and health and social care organisations involved in commissioning and providing dementia education and training in the two counties.

Whilst there was considerable investment in dementia awareness training, learning was not targeted, assessed or structured to ensure on-going professional development.

This has implications for workforce development and career-progression for staff responsible for the care of older people with dementia. Conclusion: if a future workforce is expected to lead, coordinate, support and provide dementia care across health and social care, a qualifying curriculum could play a critical part in ensuring quality and consistency of approach and provision.

This paper makes a timely contribution to discussions on the skills and competencies needed to equip the future workforce for dementia care across health and social care.

This paper explores the importance of seeking the views of service users with dementia. This is fundamental to raising quality standards in the management of dementia care, and demands commitment to on‐going high quality training for social care staff. Contemporary research and policy developments are debated in this context.

It is widely acknowledged that people with intellectual disabilities are highly likely to experience mental health problems, but that support workers' knowledge and skill in this area is sometimes lacking. There is little research explicitly exploring knowledge about the mental health of older people with intellectual disabilities and the purpose of this paper is to attempt to fill this gap.

In total, 14 support workers completed a questionnaire in which three vignettes presented progressively worsening indicators of dementia in an older person with intellectual disabilities. Participants explained what they thought was happening and what action they would take. Data were analysed using Braun and Clarke's framework.

Few participants had undertaken any mental health training, and only one in relation to older people. They were generally poor at judging early and intermediate indicators of dementia, but were able to identify more overt later signs. However, they believed these advanced indicators to be the onset of dementia. Nonetheless, they would generally take appropriate action, such as observation and referral. Abuse was often considered as a causal factor.

The most significant implication is the need for training in the mental health needs of older people and in particular, the general and specific indicators and expected trajectory of dementia in this population.

The study adds to the limited research on staff knowledge about older people with intellectual disabilities and dementia, using a novel methodology.

The purpose of this paper is to describe a study which explored the knowledge and attitudes of university students towards people living with dementia, and developed and tested a dementia awareness workshop, dementia detectives: university edition, designed to improve knowledge and foster positive attitudes to dementia in students.

Dementia detectives: university edition was launched during dementia awareness week and five workshops were delivered to university students. In total, 42 participants attended and completed a knowledge and attitude measure before and after the workshop, as well as rating the workshop with regards to satisfaction, relevance, understanding and whether they would recommend the workshop to friends.

Students perceived living with dementia to be a negative and stigmatised experience. The workshop scored highly in terms of satisfaction, relevance and understanding and all students stated that they would recommend the workshop to others. Paired t-tests found significant improvements in self-assessed dementia knowledge.

This was a pilot evaluation and further testing with larger samples is required.

The workshop meets the requirements for tier 1 dementia education and training as outlined in the Dementia Core Skills and Knowledge Framework published by the Department of Health.

The workshop has the potential to increase knowledge, change attitudes, improve empathy and contribute to the development of a dementia aware workforce through undergraduate education.

Dementia detectives: university edition is a novel interactive method of dementia education and training.

The dementia-friendly housing charter was developed by the sector in response to the Prime Minister’s challenge on dementia and a need for this resource within the housing sector. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the positive impact the housing sector can have on people living with dementia and identify resources available which the sector can use to support this.

The charter identifies relevant resources and examples of good practice to encourage their integration into all aspects of people, places and processes, the three “pillars” which the charter is built around. To develop the charter, people with dementia were engaged to identify the challenges they face and potential solutions that could be provided. The feedback of people with dementia highlighted the importance of design in housing to ensure it meets an individual’s needs as their dementia progresses. This could include adaptations such as sensor lights, plug sockets at arm level, wet rooms and open plan living. The importance of good quality training for staff was also highlighted.

There are a number of areas that were not included in the housing charter. Some were consciously not included, such as care homes, while others such as issues apparent when considering the wider agenda of equality are now being explored and will be incorporated.

In the first three months, over 600 copies of the charter were downloaded by a range of organisations including housing with care providers, local authorities and housing associations. An evaluation of the effectiveness of the charter will take place during Autumn 2017 to understand more about the success and limitations of the charter after which amends will be made if required.

Through consultation with people living with dementia and carers, this paper aims to identify skills that patients and carers feel need to be developed in the workforce. This work is part of a project to develop competencies for the West Midlands dementia workforce.

People living with a dementia and carers were contacted through cafés, a carers' group and memory group, and two people contributed interviews to the analysis. All materials were analysed qualitatively using thematic analysis.

Feedback was received from 69 individuals. In total, six major themes were identified: knowledge about dementia, person centred care, communication, relationships, support and helping people engage in activities.

It is argued that people living with dementia and carers bring unique and valuable perspectives to an analysis of the skills of the dementia workforce, which grounds the required skills in the relationship between the worker and the person and family they are working with. This different emphasis needs to be considered and addressed throughout dementia training and education.