The Care Quality Commission has launched public engagement on new statutory guidance designed to define what good dementia care looks like across health and social care, with the regulator aiming to use the framework to strengthen future assessment and improvement activity.
The watchdog is inviting people living with dementia, unpaid carers, providers, professionals and sector bodies to help shape the guidance as part of development of its wider dementia strategy, and ahead of a formal consultation it said will launch in 2027.
It said the purpose of the guidance will be to describe what good dementia care looks like, support health and adult social care providers to deliver high-quality care, promote consistency across services, protect and promote people’s rights and improve experiences of care for people living with dementia and their carers.
The move follows the CQC's pledge to co-produce evidence-based statutory guidance that can be applied consistently across its regulatory work and linked to good practice under its assessment framework.
Workforce and personalised care central
Care Quality Commission adult social care chief inspector Chris Badger has previously said the regulator intends to be "really sharp" in examining workforce skills and competency as part of its new approach.
"The literature is really clear that the quality of training for staff is really, really important," Mr Badger told The Care Home Environment earlier this year, adding that the CQC is particularly interested in the knowledge, skills and support provided to staff caring for people living with dementia.
The engagement exercise builds on the regulator's recent review of good practice in dementia care, which highlighted the importance of personalised support, meaningful activities, involving families in care planning and staff training in communication techniques, including non-verbal communication.
Mr Badger has also stressed that success would mean more people with dementia receiving "really personalised, high-quality care with carers that really understand what dementia means" and how best to support individuals to live the lives they want to lead.
The consultation comes amid growing national focus on dementia policy. Earlier this month the government launched recruitment for England's first national Dementia Tsar, designed to oversee delivery of dementia priorities within the forthcoming modern service framework for frailty and dementia and chair a new dementia council bringing together health, social care, local government and industry stakeholders.
Social care and mental health minister Alison McGovern has said that reforming dementia care depends on recognising the skills required by the social care workforce, arguing that dementia and social care had been "neglected for far too long".
The CQC survey consists of four questions and is open until 5pm on 30th October.
