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At Patient Safety Learning we believe that sharing insights and learning is vital to improving outcomes and reducing harm. That's why we created the hub; providing a space for people to come together and share their experiences, resources and good practice examples.  Dementia is an umbrella term for a number of diseases that affect the brain, with Alzheimer’s disease its most common cause. We have picked a range of resources and reflections about keeping people with dementia safe in health and care settings, and when considering medication choices. 1 Alzheimer's Society: Checklist for possible dementia symptoms This checklist has been developed by the Alzheimer’s Society to allow patients to check symptoms that could be a possible sign of dementia. Endorsed by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), it is a simple tool to help patients and their families clearly communicate their symptoms and concerns to a GP or other healthcare professional. 2 Seeing the unseen: Rethinking dementia diagnosis Across 2024 and 2025, Alzheimer’s Research UK surveyed more than 500 people affected by dementia and over 160 healthcare professionals to understand the realities of diagnosis. This report shares findings from this process and considers what works, what gets in the way, and what needs to change. 3 Health and social care support for people with dementia The Care Quality Commission (CQC) looked at people's experiences of living with dementia when using health and adult social care services, including the experiences of families and carers. It sets out the main themes that influence whether an experience is good or poor, and what health and care services are doing to improve these experiences. CQC will use the findings in this report to help shape their work to define what good care looks like for people with dementia and inform the next phase of CQC’s Dementia Strategy. 4 Keeping patients with dementia safe: an interview with Alison Keizer and Fran Hamilton When people with dementia enter a new healthcare setting, the environment may be confusing and difficult to navigate. They may be unable to use their usual coping strategies and have difficulty communicating their needs and concerns to staff. This can present a wide range of risks to their safety while accessing care. In this interview, Alison Keizer, trust-wide Dementia Lead, and Fran Hamilton, Occupational Therapist and Deputy Dementia Lead at Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust, describe the patient safety issues affecting patients with dementia and suggest how they can be supported to reduce these risks. 5 World Alzheimer Report 2025: Reimagining life with dementia – the power of rehabilitation This report from Alzheimer's Disease International explores the important topic of dementia rehabilitation, combining expert essays and real-world case studies from multiple countries globally to examine how the concept is defined and implemented, as well as practical considerations of how to best adapt rehabilitation practices for people living with dementia in different contexts. 6 National Audit of Dementia: Spotlight Audit in Memory Assessment Services 2023/24 This report examines waiting times, access to assessments, treatment, and post-diagnostic support for people with dementia in memory assessment services. The results indicate that there is still a great deal of variation between services in key results such as average waiting time for patients, the proportion of patients diagnosed with dementia, and the provision of post diagnostic support and therapy. 7 The role of integrated care systems in improving dementia diagnosis The Alzheimer’s Society commissioned The King’s Fund to explore the development of Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) through the lens of dementia diagnosis—to consider what opportunities ICSs present to approach dementia differently and to improve diagnosis rates by doing so. The research team explored enablers and barriers to improving dementia diagnosis through interviews with stakeholders and people affected by dementia in three case study ICSs. 8 Alzheimer's Society: 'This is me' leaflet This simple leaflet was developed by the Alzheimer's Society for anyone living with dementia, or experiencing delirium or other communication difficulties. It provides a central place where those closest to the person can fill in key information about them, such as their preferred name, cultural background, routines and likes and dislikes. The leaflet can then be shown to health and social care professionals in new and unknown settings to help them better understand the person and deliver care that is tailored to their individual needs. 9 Dementia UK: Making the home safe and comfortable for a person with dementia Dementia can have a significant impact on a person’s daily life, including how well they function within their home. Memory issues or problems recognising and interpreting the objects around them can cause the person frustration or create safety issues. Dementia UK have produced a leaflet with tips and guidance on how to make the home more safe for someone with dementia. 10 Alzheimer's Society: Tips for carers - questions to ask the doctor about antipsychotics Antipsychotic drugs may be prescribed for people with dementia who develop symptoms such as aggression and psychosis. This webpage from the Alzheimer's Society provides information on the prescription of antipsychotic medications for people living with dementia. It describes their potential side effects and includes a list of helpful questions that carers should ask healthcare professionals before the person they care for is prescribed antipsychotic medication. 11 Assessment, diagnosis, care and support for people with dementia and their carers: A national clinical guideline These national clinical guidelines from Health Improvement Scotland, the first to be published in nearly 20 years, provide recommendations on the assessment, treatment and support of adults living with dementia. It calls for greater awareness of pre-death grief for people with dementia, their carers and their loved ones, as they fear the loss of the person they know. To accompany the guidelines, a podcast has been produced by Health Improvement Scotland speaking to professionals, including Dr Adam Daly, Chair of Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s Guideline Development Group and a Consultant in old age psychiatry, and Jacqueline Thompson, a nurse consultant and the lead on pre-grief death for the guideline. 12 Alzheimer’s Society: Improving access to a timely and accurate diagnosis of dementia in England, Wales and Northern Ireland A formal diagnosis of dementia can help people living with the condition and their families gain a better understanding of what to expect and help to inform important decisions about treatment, support and care. This report from the Alzheimer's Society highlights the barriers to accessing a timely and accurate dementia diagnosis and advocate for practical changes and tangible solutions to overcome them. 13 The current state of dementia diagnosis and care in England The current dementia care system remains fragmented, underfunded, and difficult to navigate, leaving many individuals and families unsupported. In response to these systemic challenges, Care England, in partnership with Dementia Forward and care providers, conducted a national survey in January 2025. This initiative aimed to capture the experiences of people living with dementia, their families, and care staff. The findings highlight significant gaps and inequalities in the dementia care pathway and inform a set of urgent policy recommendations. 14 Raising awareness of normal pressure hydrocephalus: an often misdiagnosed condition Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) is a progressive neurological condition that comes under the dementia umbrella. In NPH, the cerebrospinal fluid-filled ventricles within the brain expand and distort the surrounding tissues. This process causes the neurological symptoms of NPH. Unlike other forms of hydrocephalus, NPH does not result in significantly raised intracranial pressure. NPH is often misdiagnosed as it is similar to neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and other causes of dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease. However, unlike these other conditions, if diagnosed early there is an effective treatment that can significantly slow disease progression and potentially improve, or even reverse, symptoms in some people. 15 The training gap: a hidden injustice in dementia care and how to fix it This report from Alzheimer's UK reveals huge gaps in dementia training across social care: half of staff receive just one to two hours of dementia learning despite 70% of care home residents living with the condition. It argues that these shortfalls in training are leaving social care staff unprepared, unsupported, and putting people with dementia at risk of inadequate care. It calls on the government to build a bold and ambitious dementia plan, which includes mandatory dementia training for care staff. 16 Alzheimer's Society: Unlocking the door to dementia diagnosis and treatments Systems designed to diagnose and support people with dementia are struggling to keep pace, with delays, inequalities and missed opportunities far too common. Too many people have a poor experience, wait too long for a diagnosis and receive less treatment and support than clinical guidance says they should. Everyone with dementia has the right to an early and accurate diagnosis and the best available treatments. Alzheimer's Society’s two 'Unlocking the door' reports lay out a stark reality – and a clear programme of reform for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. For more resources, take a look at our Dementia area of the hub. Do you have a resource or story to share about dementia or a related condition? Could your insights or experiences help improve patient safety? Leave a comment below (join the hub for free first) or contact us at [email protected].

Mental Health Awareness Week is an annual event which aims to raise awareness and promote open conversations about mental health.  In this Top picks, we’ve pulled together resources, blogs and reports from the hub that focus on improving patient safety across different aspects of mental health services and also supporting staff with their own mental health and wellbeing. 1 World mental health today: latest data (WHO, 2025) This World Health Organization (WHO) document draws on the latest information available to outline the state of mental health and mental health systems in the world. It shows that mental health conditions remain highly prevalent, with more than a billion people worldwide living with a mental disorder. This report provides essential data to guide national and global dialogue. It highlights where progress is being made – and where critical gaps persist. This report should serve as a vital tool for policy-makers, implementers and advocates alike. 2 Jay’s Personalised Safety Planning Toolkit: A guide to support meaningful safety planning for self-harm and suicide This toolkit is a co‑designed set of materials created with researchers, people with personal experience of suicide and self-harm, and healthcare professionals. Inspired by the family of Jaymie Mart, known as Jay, who died by suicide in 2012 at the age of 32, the toolkit—which was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)—offers clear, practical guidance to help adults create and review personalised safety plans. 3 Harry’s story: Acute Behavioural Disturbance In December 2022, Harry Vass died after experiencing Acute Behavioural Disturbance (ABD) and a complex disturbance in normal physiology. Harry’s death was found to be avoidable as carers were not fully aware of this condition associated with acute psychosis. In this blog, Harry’s mother Julie describes the barriers they faced in getting the right support and care for Harry before he died and highlights the need for healthcare staff to have a greater awareness of ABD and the associated risks of a medical emergency. You can also read a second blog by Julie, where she explains more about Acute Behavioural Disturbance and the changes she believes are needed to make sure patients like Harry are cared for appropriately. 4 Life Beyond the Cubicle: eLearning to support working well with families during mental health crises A set of eLearning modules designed to educate and update clinicians on the importance of involving families wherever possible during mental health crises to improve patient care, avoid harm and reduce deaths. They were developed as a partnership between Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and Making Families Count, with funding from NHS England South East Region (HEE legacy funds). The resources have been co-produced by people with lived experience as patients, family carers and clinicians, supported by an Advisory Group drawn from a wide range of expertise, tested in eleven NHS Trusts and independently evaluated. 5 Mental health crises: how to improve care In May 2024, National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Evidence held a webinar on care for adults in mental health crisis. The webinar shared research findings on what works in community crisis care, how acute day units compare to crisis resolution teams and whether peer-supported self-management can reduce acute readmissions. This Collection summarises the 3 research projects presented at the webinar. It includes video clips from the speakers and incorporates quotes from the day. The information will be useful for anyone involved in commissioning or delivering mental health crisis services. 6 Self-harm: assessment, management and preventing recurrence This new guideline from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) covers assessment, management and preventing recurrence for children, young people and adults who have self-harmed. It includes those with a mental health problem, neurodevelopmental disorder or learning disability and applies to all sectors that work with people who have self-harmed. The guideline sets out some important principles for care and treatment. For example, it states that self-harming patients treated in primary care must receive regular follow-up appointments, regular reviews of self-harm behaviour and a regular medicines review. 7 Hope Virgo: What needs to happen to stop people with eating disorders being failed by the healthcare system? In this blog, Hope Virgo, author and Secretariat for the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Eating Disorders, examines the crisis that continues in eating disorder services in the UK and the devastating impact this is having on patients and their families. She highlights how failures in services lead to avoidable deaths. Hope shares the key recommendations from a new report by the APPG and calls for adequate funding and attention to ensure people with eating disorders receive the help they need to recover. 8 Designing paediatric wards to support mental health Blog from the Health Services Safety Investigations Board (HSSIB) authored by Saskia Fursland, Senior Safety Investigator. She talks about her visit to a newly opened paediatric ward where its design has carefully considered children and young people with mental health needs. Saskia reflects on the learning which could support other paediatric wards to improve their environments. 9 Zero Suicide Alliance training The Zero Suicide Alliance is a collaboration of NHS trusts, charities, businesses and individuals who are committed to suicide prevention in the UK and beyond. Their website offers free online training courses to teach people the skills and confidence to have potentially life-saving conversations with someone they’re worried about. They offer short online modules covering general suicide awareness, social isolation and suicide in veterans and university students. 10 How can our team move past a traumatic event? After an extreme traumatic event there are things that you can do to help yourself, and your colleagues, to move on. Fiona Day, medical and public health leadership coach and chartered coaching psychologist, Stacey Killick, consultant paediatrician at Glan Clwyd Hospital, and Lucy Easthope, professor in practice at Durham University’s Institute of Hazard, Risk, and Resilience and adviser on disaster recovery give their tips in this BMJ article. 11 Trusted information collection: severe mental illness (Patient Information Forum) The Patient Information Forum (PIF) have launched a series of new collections to help people find trusted resources. Each collection only features resources that have the PIF TICK. That means they are easy-to-read, evidence-based and easy to understand. Topics include: schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and psychosis. 12 Vicarious trauma: The invisible epidemic In healthcare, an insidious epidemic lurks beneath the surface, affecting the very individuals tasked with providing care: vicarious trauma by empathy. Despite its profound impact, this phenomenon remains largely unrecognised and under-discussed within the sector. As leaders, it is imperative that we shed light on this invisible trauma and acknowledge it as one of the greatest challenges facing our industry, as Margarida Pacheco explains in this blog. 13 Beyond stereotypes: A lived experience guide to navigating support for disordered eating Disordered eating can affect anyone, but it can be confusing to understand and recognise it in our own personal experiences. This guide, published by East London NHS Foundation Trust, is a snapshot of how adults in East London have navigated those experiences of uncertainty while seeking support for disordered eating. For many of the contributors, preconceptions about what an eating disorder is (or isn’t) have previously acted as a barrier to seeking or receiving support. It also contains advice on how to seek support for disordered eating. 14 “The alarming rate of suicide among healthcare workers should be a wake-up call in the urgent need to support them” Frontline19 was established at the start of the Covid pandemic as an urgent response to support frontline workers who were under extreme pressure and experiencing significant mental health challenges. Psychotherapist Claire Goodwin-Fee is the founder and CEO of Frontline19. In this blog, Claire explains how systemic pressures and stigma around mental health are continuing to leave healthcare staff extremely vulnerable. 15 Blog: Why harmful gender stereotypes surrounding men’s approaches towards their feelings need challenging This blog explores why men are reluctant to seek support when they are struggling with their mental health and why the suicide rate is so high. It looks at initiatives that exist to encourage men to seek help and highlights what more could be done to support mens’ mental health. 16 Time for a rebalance: psychological and emotional well-being in the healthcare workforce as the foundation for patient safety In this editorial for BMJ Quality and Safety, Kate Kirk explains why staff well-being is the foundation to improving patient safety. 17 Top tips and key actions for successful collaborative partnership working across mental health services These top tips and key actions have been co-developed to support effective collaborative partnership working in the planning and delivery of community mental health services. They recognise that every heath and care system will experience challenges in relation to partnership working given the statutory and cultural differences of organisations working across the mental health pathways and that there will be different arrangements to frame local partnership working, including for example a Section 75 agreement. 18 Balancing care: The psychological impact of ensuring patient safety In this blog, Leah Bowden, a patient safety specialist, reflects on the impact her job has on her mental health and family life. She discusses why there needs to be specialised clinical supervision for staff involved in reviewing patient safety incidents and how organisations need to come together to identify ways we can support our patient safety teams. 19 NHS England: Staying safe from suicide: Best practice guidance for safety assessment, formulation and management This guidance supports the government’s work to reduce suicide and improve mental health services. It promotes a shift towards a more holistic, person-centred approach rather than relying on risk prediction, which is unreliable because suicidal thoughts can change quickly. Instead, it recommends using a method based on understanding each person’s situation and managing their safety. 20 The Motherhood Group: Black maternal mental health report UK The Motherhood Group has launched a landmark report on Black maternal mental health in the United Kingdom, shining a light on the urgent need for safe spaces, culturally competent peer support, digital access, and community-driven, anti-racist solutions. This report centres the lived experiences of Black mothers and highlights systemic barriers to quality, affordable mental healthcare. By leading this research, The Motherhood Group places Black mothers’ voices at the forefront of national conversations, providing policy-makers, health services, and communities with the insights needed to drive meaningful change. 21 Mental Maintenance at NEAS: a proactive approach to staff mental health The North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (NEAS) provides emergency medical and patient transport services to a population of 2.7 million people in the North East region, employing over 3,400 staff members. Exposure to traumatic events, the demands of shift working and an uncertainty of what’s in store each day, can impact ambulance staff mental health. Read how North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust created a campaign to provide proactive staff mental health support. 22 Mind: The big mental health report 2025 Mind’s 2025 Big Mental Health Report explores the state of mental health, and mental health services and support across England and Wales. It builds on the insights from their 2024 report and gives a comprehensive picture of mental health to date, serving as a crucial guide that anyone can use. It explores the latest evidence on the nation’s mental health including how well services are supporting mental health in England and Wales. 23 Making sense after a suicide: living with blame, uncertainty, and the need for answers. You are not alone Each year, more than 700,000 people die by suicide worldwide. In the UK, it is around 7,000 – making it the biggest cause of death for people aged 20–34 and for men under 50. Making Families Count have created this resource to offer some comfort, recognition, and companionship in the aftermath of bereavement by suicide, whether it seems the person intended to take their own life, or their intention was unclear. The resource consists of a booklet and three short films of people’s stories of their bereavement by suicide. Written by Dr Rachel Gibbons, with contributions from a group of bereaved families, Dr Karen Lascelles, and comments and suggestions from other affected people and those who work with them. 24 National Audit of Eating Disorders Service Mapping Report 2025 The National Audit of Eating Disorders (NAED) is commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) and funded by NHS England as part of the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme. In 2025 the NAED team conducted a comprehensive mapping of eating disorder service provision across England. This report provides an in-depth overview of NHS-funded and independent sector services for children, young people, and adults. 25 Mental health crisis care: legislative challenges in emergency departments (HSSIB) The Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) published two reports intended for healthcare organisations, policymakers and the public to help improve patient safety in relation to safety issues identified for people experiencing a mental health crisis who come into contact with urgent and emergency care services. This first report focuses on the significant legal, policy and safety gap in the care of people in emergency departments (EDs) in mental health crisis. During consultation on this report, concerns were shared with HSSIB about the current challenges in relation to the resourcing and configuration of mental health services that exacerbate challenges faced in the ED. 26 Mental health: attempted suicide while under the care of community services (HSSIB) The second HSSIB investigation used the patient safety incident investigation (PSII) report template and Patient Safety Incident Review Framework (PSIRF) tools to investigate an attempted suicide in the community mental health setting. Findings and areas for improvement are listed for the organisations that were involved in this incident. However, the learning may be relevant to other organisations. Have your say Do you have any stories, insights or resources related to mental health? We would love to hear from you! Comment below (register for free here first) Get in touch with us directly to share your insights.

One in 11 people over the age of 65 has dementia. They can present with a range of additional unmet needs, but nurses who are not specialised in dementia care can feel ill-equipped to effectively support them. Experts will give nurses working in all specialties the information they need to identify different types of dementia and advice on how to adapt their nursing practice. Nurse specialists will also offer practical strategies to enable you to give people and their carers support and holistic care. The interactive panel discussion will consider the challenges the nursing team faces in supporting people with dementia and how they can ensure the best care is given. Register

Age-Friendly Health Systems (AFHS) is an initiative that aims to follow evidence-based practices while minimising harm in older patients. The evidence-based elements of high-quality care are known as the 4Ms: What Matters Medication Mentation Mobility During the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, a team from the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) decided to examine the equity of their care for older adults. The resulting study published about the age-friendly work at OHSU is the first to include data about health equity as part of AFHS outcomes and illustrates the importance of creating equitable care at clinical and institutional policy levels. This blog looks at the process the team went through to assess and collect data about age-related equity.