Delirium toolkit training resources

Our aims

Dementia United’s Greater Manchester approach to delirium outlines key standards that focus on raising awareness and ensuring the provision of information for people at risk of delirium, those that go on to develop delirium, and for family carers.

Why this matters

Delirium is a common yet under-recognised medical condition that can have serious or even life-threatening consequences. Given the costs of delirium to both the patient and to the healthcare economy, it is essential that healthcare professionals are aware of delirium and understand how to identify and manage the condition. The Northern Clinical Network for Mental Health and Dementia has produced a curriculum for delirium training to be used in acute hospitals in the region. Delirium-curriculum-for-acute-hospital-staff-v4.0-final.pdf (england.nhs.uk).

What we’ve achieved so far

Greater Manchester delirium leaflet

Dementia United co-produced a Greater Manchester public facing delirium leaflet

This is also available as a short film – you can access this on YouTube

Translated leaflets, films and audio files

The leaflet is available in sixteen languages in three formats: written leaflet, audio file and film. You can access all of these here

Dementia United Delirium and Hydration resources

These co-produced resources have a focus on the link between dehydration and delirium. We ran a campaign in the summer and these resources were so popular that we’ve removed mentions of summer so the resources can be used all year round. You can find out more about the summer campaign here.

Collated training resources

We have also collated information resources from Greater Manchester and across the UK, as below.

Greater Manchester

Strategic Clinical Network video hearing from patients and carers about what delirium is like. Emma Vardy and colleagues at Salford Royal describing their electronic delirium assessment and management tool designed to identify and manage delirium early.
Health Innovation Manchester video hearing from Liz and her partner Mike. Mike has dementia and has experienced delirium twice. In the video they explain how the digital screening and management tool at Salford Royal helped to identify Mike’s delirium superimposed on his dementia and how he went on to recover and be discharged in 4 days.
This is the link to the webinar that Emma Vardy presented at for World Delirium Awareness Day 17^th March 2021. The emphasis of the webinar is for community practitioners and North West Ambulance clinicians. Emma covers what is delirium, why it is important, how to assess delirium, what the causes are and what can be undertaken to manage it, as well as talking through some case studies.
Delirium – Raising awareness resources for support staff and family, carers
Dementia United delirium resources training and toolkits for practitioners managers qualified staff (09.2022) FINAL

National

Delirium Awareness Video (#icanpreventdelirium) | Creative Connection – YouTube by Tee, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust outlining what delirium is, how to spot it, prevent it and strategies to manage delirium.
Royal College of Nursing facilitation pack, video, information and posters: Don’t Discount Delirium | Royal College of Nursing | Delirium Champion | Royal College of Nursing (rcn.org.uk)
This 30 minute e-learning session produced by Norfolk & Suffolk Care Support highlights the difference between Dementia, Delirium and Depression in older people: Dementia, Delirium & Depression in Older People – Video 1 – Dementia Training for Adult Social Care – YouTube

West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership/NHS I&E resources

The module ‘Raising Awareness of Delirium’ has been designed to enhance the knowledge and skills of family carer’s and health and care staff.
These slides explain how to log in to the e-learning.
THINK DELIRIUM resources are also available to download and include further educational resources and films.

Delirium dramas

Please note that these films are designed to highlight both good and bad practice. We recommend that the films are used in education/awareness raising sessions by skilled facilitators who are able to draw out the key learning from each of the scenarios. They are included in this report Improving awareness of delirium how to prevent it spot it and manage it produced by West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership, Yorkshire and the Humber Clinical Networks

In the films with Kenneth and Wendy they highlight lots of bad practice with the intention that it will stimulate key learning throughout the learning module. It’s important to remember that while the films may be shocking and/or alarming, the scenarios are written and presented to be thought provoking and to encourage rich discussion among health care professionals across all parts of the health and care system.

Film 1. Kenneth: https://drive.google.com/file/d/18PgQKBOpOHCXor3yELl2PjF3T8LlC9hC/view?usp=sharing
Film 2. Wendy: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bReUTaRHe6kNzYVoKk7rKXlchhM72dfL/view?usp=sharing
Film 3. Grace: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CBsMfy5l_NnToQqFZOKYVWEsOuRn_-Y4/view?usp=sharing
Film 4. Eric: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jqJjYyiGWSqQGkvdkW4qagg_I66yFkEH/view?usp=sharing

With thanks to West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership NHS I&E for allowing us to share their training resource with relevant colleagues in Greater Manchester

NHS Fife, Scotland video on utilising the 4AT screening tool and refers to further tools e.g TIME bundle.
Social Care Institute for Excellence video on practical approaches to minimising restraint. This is an eight minutes video looking at minimising the use of restraint with two case studies; in a care home and in hospital, in the context of delirium.
Delirium Hub | British Geriatrics Society (bgs.org.uk) This hub webpage brings together articles, national guidelines and best practice relevant to delirium and is frequently reviewed and updated.

Hospital focused resources

Health Improvement Scotland ihub videos In these videos, staff from the Southern General Hospital discuss the positive changes made by implementing a delirium pathway.
Dementia UK outline the possible causes of distress in a hospital setting, which includes undertaking a systematic approach to identifying delirium Possible causes of distress in the hospital setting – YouTube
Delirium and Pain (YouTube) – In the film Professor Liz Sampson, Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist at North Middlesex University Hospital, explores the connections between pain and delirium, providing evidence and citing good practice examples for assessment.

Care homes focused resources

Social Care Institute for Excellence Delirium quick guide for Care Home Managers (includes brief easy ready four page download).
Dementia and Delirium document is part of the enhanced educational package delivered to care home staff, which aims to improve understanding of delirium and dementia.

Family and informal carer focused resources

This resource is suitable for family carers from Dementia UK. This link to a webpage A short video by the Chief Admiral Nurse, scroll down to the video.

Resources reflecting COVID-19 and delirium

DU presented at the national webinar, which focused on Delirium and COVID 24 June 2020: Delirium and considerations during the Covid-19 pandemic (dementia-united.org.uk)
British Geriatric Society guidance on managing delirium in the context of COVID.
DU presented on delirium and COVID for care homes on the 8 December 2020, as part of the GM Infection Prevention Control in Care Homes series.