Patients and carers had very good experiences of memory services overall whether they had standard or excellent accreditation. However, 'excellent' services were consistently better on a number of factors. This provides further support that the accreditation process is an important indicator of the quality of memory services.
Aim: To evaluate patients’ and carers’ experiences of attending UK memory services. Methods: As part of their enrollment in the Memory Services National Accreditation Programme, memory services sent questionnaires to patients and carers about their experiences of attending the service. Results: A total of 298 carers and 280 individuals with dementia from 21 memory services responded. People were very satisfied with the diagnostic processes and staff courtesy; however, there was a lack of written information across a range of key areas. In general, carers were better informed than patients but lacked information on respite care or how to get a carers’ assessment. Carers were more likely than patients to feel pressurized into making decisions about treatment. Conclusion: This study provides the first profile of the experiences of patients and carers attending memory services. Although in general they were very satisfied with the care received, more needs to be done to improve the provision of information.
This paper outlines the experience of an integrated psychological therapies service in applying for accreditation from the Accreditation Programme for Psychological Therapies Services (APPTS). Reflections on the challenges and benefits of the APPTS process are considered.
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