Improvements have been made in the quality of dementia care in Scotland, but more needs to be done, according to inspectors.
The Care Inspectorate has today published the findings of dedicated inspection work focused on the care of people living with dementia.
It follows a year-long focused analysis of 145 care homes for older people by the Care Inspectorate, Scotland’s social care scrutiny and improvement body.
Inspectors noted that although more than half of care homes were now delivering good quality care, more could be done to challenge expectations of what living with dementia means and the quality of care that can be provided.
Karen Reid, chief executive of the Care Inspectorate, said: “We found that over half of care homes were performing at a good or better level in terms of meeting people’s needs, rights and expectations.
“However there remain improvements to be made in ensuring that quality of life for people is not limited due to lack of expectations of what it means to be an older person living with dementia in a care home.
“It is possible to live well with dementia, and care services play a crucial role in supporting people to do so. The evidence presented in today’s report shows examples of excellent care being experienced by people living with dementia, across all parts of Scotland, as well as areas for development and improvement.
“For example, we found inconsistent and variable post-diagnostic support for people and their families, when someone in a care homes is diagnosed with dementia. While we recognise that the number of people receiving a diagnosis at this point in their life may be relatively low, we expect people living in care homes to have the same access to diagnostic and support services as people living in the community.”
The report examined the way Scotland’s national standards of care for dementia in Scotland were being met.
The Standards of Care for Dementia in Scotland, which are set by the Scottish Government, were developed to meet three principle aims: help people with dementia and their carers to understand and protect their rights, indicate to care providers what is expected of them and improve the quality of dementia care homes.
The inspection focus found that more than a third of people living with dementia (35%) had no access to independent advocacy to help them express their needs and expectations.
It also found that while 55% of care homes had provision for ongoing organised activities every day of the week, 10% of care homes did not provide any opportunities for people to keep active and engaged.
Karen Reid added: “There are a small number of care homes where the quality of care was not satisfactory when we inspected. For those that are not providing the care and support that we would like to see, the Care Inspectorate requires speedy improvement and can provide direct support to ensure the quality of care improves.
“We are committed to ensuring that quality of life for people is not limited due to lack of expectations of what it means to be an older person living with dementia in a care home.”
The report is available here: My Life My Care Home