System quality improvement

Improving connections, quality of care and experience for everyone affected by dementia.

Current areas of work include:

• Active inclusion of marginalised communities. We’re committed to advancing equalities in terms of access, experiences and outcomes and are working with locality partnerships to support projects across Greater Manchester: Read more
• Dementia wellbeing plan digitisation. Our dementia wellbeing plan promotes personalised planning conversations with people living with dementia and carers about their needs and wants. The plan ensures an improved standard of care planning for people living with dementia and also facilitates sharing across the system. It will be available as a standardised plan which can be accessed and shared digitally between practitioners. Read more
• Improve quality and experience of being diagnosed with dementia. Being given a diagnosis of dementia is a life-changing event for anyone.  This project focuses on improve this experience for people in Greater Manchester, including by sharing best practice and learning across organisations.  We recognise the importance of post-diagnostic support for people affected by dementia and explore the initial post-diagnostic support offer within this work. Read more
• Improve detection, treatment and management of delirium. Delirium is a condition which causes a short-term confused state and develops over hours and days; as a result of underlying illness. People living with dementia are more likely to experience delirium and if undetected and treated, it can lead to much poorer outcomes. Dementia United developed a Greater Manchester approach to delirium with a person-centred pathway and key standards focused on early detection, assessment and treatment. These standards form the basis of the three areas of the delirium work programme outlined as: Greater Manchester community delirium toolkit and resources; Greater Manchester hospital toolkit and resources; Delirium training and resources. Read more
• Young onset and rarer forms of dementia. We’re working to improve the quality of experience from pre-diagnosis through to post diagnostic support for people with young onset (i.e. under 65 years of age) and rarer forms of dementia eg frontotemporal dementia: Read more
• Embed quality standards across the dementia care pathway. We’ve reviewed and developed dementia and brain health quality standards to provide a vision for the future as we work together to improve the experience of all those affected by dementia in Greater Manchester.  Alongside the Dementia and Brain Health Delivery Plan 2023 to 2025, the standards offer a framework for all localities and organisations in Greater Manchester to evaluate against and develop action plans. Read more
• Support the provision of good end of life care. Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease was the leading cause of death in 2022.  However “dementia is frequently not recognised as a life-limiting condition nor considered suitable for palliative care. Too often people affected by dementia have limited access to support in the community and experience high hospital use and a high burden of suffering.  They deserve better” (Cicely Saunders Institute of Palliative Care, Policy & Rehabilitation at King’s College London, May 2023).  This project focuses on promoting awareness of dementia as a life-limiting condition and the palliative and end of life care services available to support people affected by dementia. Read more