HC-One is striving to make dementia care accessible and fit for the future by not only creating dementia care environments that support kind and person-led care, but also the implementation of our Specialist Dementia Care Communities (SDCCs) as part of our new therapeutic approach to caring for people with complex dementia needs.
What is unique about our SDCCs?
As the UK’s largest provider of dementia care to the public sector, we understand the increasing complexity of dementia and are committed to responding to the challenges this brings to the adult social care sector. In response, we are pioneering a new therapeutic approach that is set to revolutionise and become a national model for dementia care.
Having successfully launched an enhanced dementia strategy which sets out plans to lead the way in delivering innovative dementia care, HC-One has opened two new SDCCs in
Meadow Bank care home, in Lancashire and
Darnley Court care home in Glasgow.
Different to traditional residential and nursing dementia care categories, Specialist Dementia Care Communities re-think what ‘good’ needs to look like and are specially designed to support those who experience distress and present with behaviours of concern because of their dementia.
Speaking about the Specialist Dementia Care Communities, Professor Graham Stokes, Director of Dementia Care at HC-One, said: “We’re really proud of our Specialist Dementia Care Community model, which we feel is a groundbreaking approach to dementia care.
“They are different to standard residential dementia care settings which ask ‘what?’ - what is wrong with this person? what can’t they do? what have they started to do? Our specialist dementia unit asks ‘why?’ - why is this person feeling this way? acting in this manner? not being the person they used to be? This specialist approach really supports our team to work therapeutically with residents.”
Specialist roles, training and skill sets
HC-One is breaking the mould on what a staffing structure should look like, introducing new specialist roles and skill sets. This includes a higher number of colleagues looking after residents, and new roles such as Assistant Psychologists, who study behaviour to really delve into the reasons why someone living with dementia is feeling distressed and acting the way they are, and Therapeutic Wellbeing Practitioners who focus on giving a person the quality of life they want.
Bespoke and advanced Learning and Development is also delivered in partnership with HC-One’s Dementia Care Managers, to ensure care teams are knowledgeable and confident in caring for people with more complex dementia needs.
Making a real difference to residents and families
Following the launch of HC-One’s
very first SDCC in 2022, there has already been huge improvements to the lives of residents living with dementia. This includes:
- 90% decrease in distress-related incidents
- 60% of residents showing improvement in ‘Primary Behaviour of Concern’
- 88% of residents improved their ‘Total Complexity of Need Profile’
Julie Banks is a family member of one of our residents at Meadow Bank. She said: “We are delighted with the service provided by the team. The community has been our saving grace.
“The home has succeeded in providing exemplary care where others have failed. From our first visit, we knew we had made the right choice – communities such as Sabrina are needed everywhere.”
The future of dementia care
The number of people living with dementia is sharply rising, but by working together with healthcare providers, policymakers and investors, HC-One plans to create a future with exceptional dementia care.
Through our dedication to delivering the kindest possible care within a supportive environment, we aim to not only support – or even improve – the wellbeing of our residents, but also ease pressure on the NHS and social care services.
At HC-One, we are not just responding to the challenges of dementia care; we’re leading the way to a future where older people can live with dignity, purpose, and compassion in an environment that truly seeks to understand them.
To find out more about our SDCCs please speak to our professional care advisors on 0333 999 8699.