The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) in the UK have published a new film and practical guide to help nursing staff care for people with dementia in hospital.

The film, presented by Alzheimer’s Society Ambassador Angela Rippon, can be drawn on worldwide by anyone working with people with dementia. It looks at how to deliver high quality care, and shares the perspectives of people with dementia, family carers and health care practitioners.

The guide and film, which are also aimed at senior managers and trust boards, offer information, advice and suggest further reading around each of the RCN’s key principles for improving dementia care:

• staff who are skilled and have time to care
• partnership working with carers
• assessment and early identification of dementia
• care plans which are person centred and individualised
• environments that are dementia friendly.

Within the section on care plans, the guide recommends that people with dementia and their families should be encouraged to consider making advance plans and/or advance decisions about their care while they have capacity. Also highlighted is the importance of access to, and support from, specialist palliative care teams in ensuring that those in hospital who are at the end stage of their life get the right support.

The guide, ‘Dementia: commitment to the care of people with dementia in hospital settings’, and film, 'Supporting good dementia care', were funded by the Department for Health and can be accessed for free through the Royal College of Nursing website.