A team of clinicians from Singapore travelled to Greater Manchester for a month-long study visit to learn how health and care services work together to improve delirium care. The city-region’s proactive, community-focused approach is helping more people receive early diagnosis and support at home, reducing hospital admissions and improving outcomes.

Why Greater Manchester?

Greater Manchester has developed one of the most progressive and integrated delirium care models in England, making significant strides in community-based detection, prevention, and management:

• Keeping people safe at home – The Greater Manchester Community Delirium Toolkit, used by GPs, nurses, paramedics, and care home staff, has been instrumental in keeping people with delirium out of hospital, ensuring they receive prompt care in familiar surroundings.

In Stockport, 97% of patients received an urgent assessment within two hours from the Urgent Community Response team, with 88% of those showing signs of delirium safely supported at home, preventing hospital admission.

• Raising awareness in local communities – A multilingual delirium advice leaflet, available in 16 languages has made vital information accessible to diverse communities, helping families spot early signs and seek help.
• Improving early detection – Hospitals such as Wythenshawe and Royal Bolton have introduced digital screening tools to detect delirium faster, leading to quicker interventions and better patient outcomes.

We visited Greater Manchester to see how delirium is addressed across different care settings. We were particularly interested in how various care providers work together to improve delirium detection and management, from patients’ homes all the way to hospital care. We’ve had the chance to engage with a wide range of stakeholders, from patients with lived experience to NHS leaders. We have been inspired by the passion and collaboration between those affected by delirium and the teams working to improve care. We are also incredibly grateful for the warm hospitality we’ve received. Dr Lim Jun Pei, Consultant in Geriatric Medicine at Tan Tock Seng Hospital in Singapore.

The visiting clinicians had the invaluable opportunity to learn directly from people with lived experience of delirium, gaining a deeper understanding of the real-world impact of the condition and the support that makes a difference.

During their visit, the team spent time in GP practices, hospitals, and community settings including local voluntary sector groups, seeing first-hand how different services in Greater Manchester work together to detect and manage delirium effectively.

We are immensely proud that our work in Greater Manchester is gaining international attention. Our goal has always been to improve how we recognise and care for people with delirium, keeping them well at home whenever possible. To see our model inspire global learning is a testament to the dedication of our health and care teams, as well as the invaluable contributions of people with lived experience and the voluntary sector in shaping and delivering better care. It has been great to host colleagues from Singapore and share knowledge on improving community-based delirium care. Dr Manisha Kumar, Chief Medical Officer for NHS Greater Manchester