Developing supportive design for people with dementia

There is growing awareness of the importance of the environment within health care. The King's Fund's Enhancing the Healing Environment (EHE) programme encourages and enables nurse-led teams to work in partnership with patients to improve the environment in which to deliver care.

Developing Supportive Design for People with Dementia is the latest publication from the EHE programme. It marks the completion of 26 schemes in 23 NHS acute, community and mental health hospitals in England to improve the environment of care for people with dementia.

The Environments of Care for People with Dementia programme was funded by the Department of Health as part of work to support the implementation of the National Dementia Strategy in England. There was tight competition for the available places, and projects were chosen for their ability to reflect the care pathway from diagnosis to end-of-life care.

This publication seeks to provide practical, value-for-money examples to encourage and inspire staff and their organisations to provide an environment of care that better supports people with dementia. As well as case studies with before and after photographs from participating sites, Developing Supportive Design for People with Dementia includes information about the development and evaluation of the EHE assessment tool; overarching design principles for creating a more supportive environment for people with dementia; and a project directory detailing the artists and designers involved in each scheme along with costs involved.