# Finding Solutions to Addressing Inequalities in Dementia Diagnosis and Care: Recommendations From a Country‐Wide Consultation

## TL;DR

This paper presents solutions to address inequalities in dementia diagnosis and care, based on input from 131 stakeholders across England.

## Contribution

The study provides a set of actionable, multi-level solutions to reduce dementia care disparities through a nationwide consultation.

## Key findings

- Solutions were identified at personal, community, and infrastructure levels, with most focused on community and infrastructure.
- Proposed solutions include link workers, career pathways for social care, and digital training to improve access and equity.
- A cross-UK national dementia strategy was recommended to raise dementia's priority and drive systemic change.

## Abstract

Accessing a diagnosis and receiving adequate care and support for dementia can often be subject to various inequalities. Personal‐, community‐, and infrastructure‐level factors can contribute to and often intersect in causing unequal health and care outcomes. With a paucity of evidence to inform solutions for dementia inequalities, the aim of this public consultation exercise was to explore potential solutions to inequalities in dementia diagnosis and care with different dementia stakeholders.

Utilising a future workshop approach, we conducted 11 in‐person and remote consultation workshops to discuss experienced barriers of accessing diagnosis and care; discuss an ideal‐world scenario where no barriers exist; and solutions to reach more equitable dementia diagnosis and care with people with dementia, unpaid carers, health and social care professionals, and third sector representatives. Discussions were synthesised by the research team and one public consultation group and mapped against the Dementia Inequalities model.

A total of 131 different stakeholders in dementia attended 11 workshops across England. Solutions were identified across three layers of inequalities, with the majority of solutions proposed on a community and infrastructure level. Examples included link workers, a social care career pathway, Community Champions, adequate home equipment, and digital training. Some solutions require Governmental input, such as creating career pathways in the social care workforce, similar to the NHS, to train and maintain good paid carers, as well as a cross‐UK national dementia strategy raising the priority of dementia and required changes.

Dementia inequalities could be addressed via diverse and holistic approaches. With limited evidence to date on the impact of some of the proposed solutions, future research needs to build on these recommendations and design and test suitable interventions.

People with dementia and their carers experience a myriad of inequalities, which can be address on a personal‐, community‐, and infrastructure level.Across 11 workshops, many solutions to addressing inequalities were identified, including link workers, a social care career pathway, Community Champions, adequate home equipment, and digital training.Inequalities need to be address jointly and require a multitude of interventions and strategies to support people with dementia and their carers to access diagnosis and care more equitably.

People with dementia and their carers experience a myriad of inequalities, which can be address on a personal‐, community‐, and infrastructure level.

Across 11 workshops, many solutions to addressing inequalities were identified, including link workers, a social care career pathway, Community Champions, adequate home equipment, and digital training.

Inequalities need to be address jointly and require a multitude of interventions and strategies to support people with dementia and their carers to access diagnosis and care more equitably.