A new report by UCL researchers has revealed that one in six hospital beds in the UK is occupied by a person with dementia and without action, this figure is expected to rise to one in four hospital beds by 2040.
The landmark study, the most comprehensive review of dementia hospitalisations in the UK to date, examined evidence from 77 research papers involving 1.48 million people. It highlights the significant human, social and financial impact of unnecessary hospital stays for people living with dementia, their families and healthcare professionals.
People with dementia are five times more likely to remain in hospital after they are medically fit to leave, with delayed discharges alone costing the NHS around £328 million annually. The report identifies poor communication between services, unsuitable hospital environments and a lack of dementia-specific resources as key factors contributing to longer stays.
The impact on patients and families is evidently profound. Nearly half of people with dementia develop delirium during a hospital admission, while many families describe hospitals as frightening and confusing environments. Staff working in overstretched settings can struggle to provide the personalised support needed, with 87% of hospital staff reporting that caring for people with dementia is challenging due to limited resources.
The report argues that many existing approaches do not effectively reduce dementia-related hospital admissions and calls for greater investment in evidence-based, community-focused solutions. Recommended actions include creating integrated health and social care teams, expanding the role of clinical pharmacists to reduce medication-related readmissions, and making advance care planning a central part of dementia support.
Professor Andrew Sommerlad of UCL Psychiatry, the report’s lead author, has emphasised that these challenges can be addressed, "despite public and political perception, these dementia related failings in the UK health and care system are not intractable. The research clearly shows how important community-centric approaches are to reducing hospitalisations and minimising long stays, yet the NHS is not implementing them.
With one in three people over 90 expected to have dementia, it has never been more important to redirect resources to evidence-based care and improve communication to ensure families, hospital staff and carers are working as one joined-up team.”
Furthermore, a new report has found that many widely used dementia interventions, including case management programmes and exercise, do not reduce hospital admissions among people with dementia, although they remain valuable for other aspects of care.
The report calls for NHS funding to be redirected towards evidence-based, community-focused approaches that can prevent avoidable hospitalisations and shorten stays. Key recommendations include making integrated multidisciplinary teams the standard for dementia care, expanding the role of clinical pharmacists in hospitals to prevent medication-related readmissions, and embedding advance care planning to help families prepare for crises.
The report also highlights that advance care planning could potentially reduce dementia-related hospital admissions by up to 55%, while pharmacist-led interventions could save the NHS £38 for every £1 invested.
Laurence Geller, Chair of the Geller Commission, said the findings reveal the scale of the challenges facing people with dementia in hospitals and provide the evidence needed to drive meaningful change in care delivery.
To read for full article, please click on the link: One in six hospital beds filled by dementia patients | UCL News - UCL – University College London
Image: Tima Miroshnichenko