Higher education provision for professionals working with people with dementia: a scoping exercise

This paper reports on the first national UK survey of higher education provision related to dementia care. A questionnaire was distributed to lecturers in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in England and Wales seeking information about the amount of coverage of dementia within their pre-registration and pre-qualifying courses for health and social care professionals, and continuing professional development (CPD) courses on dementia care. Information was sought regarding the content of courses, and their relation to a published "dementia curriculum" [Pulsford et al., The contribution of higher education to dementia care, Journal of Dementia Care 11(4) (2003) 27-29]. Results show that coverage of dementia within the mental health branch of pre-registration nursing programmes is very variable, and may be related to the presence of an experienced and committed lecturer within the HEI. Coverage of dementia on adult branch programmes is limited, and sometimes non-existent, despite reported deficits in the ability of general nurses to work effectively with people with dementia. Occupational Therapists and Social Workers receive similar input to adult branch nurses. CPD courses are provided by around 70% of HEIs overall, but there is a shortage of specialised diploma and degree level courses on dementia care. Most areas of the dementia curriculum are covered in both pre-registration and CPD courses, but culture and diversity, young onset dementia, and physical health care may be less well addressed. Recommendations are made for developing higher education provision for professionals working with this group of people.