Sometimes a manager's first response to a need for service development is to believe that training is the answer. Training staff will only work once the service has understood and signed up to how they are going to achieve an improved model of care. This requires enormous commitment to change from everyone involved and the drive to implement the operational changes that are needed.

Consultancy support enables a service to work through the implications of implementing operational changes. This is done by drawing on consultants' expertise in making change happen. The aim of our consultancy support is to help a service to develop its own in house expertise.

Sustainability occurs through Dementia Care Matters working in partnership with a service, assisting them to develop their own operational action plan. Supporting a service in implementing this action plan will then enable future training to be more successfully turned into action by the staff team.

Our consultancy menu covers:

Establishing a clear model

How to establish a clear model of person centred dementia care which meets the requirements of the National Dementia Strategy.

Removing old cultures

How to shift a service, with features rooted in old cultures of care and working practices, to being more person centred.

Improving recruitment / appraisal

How to improve the recruitment and appraisal process, reaching out to attract and retain people with the qualities and approach that person centred dementia care needs; the 'stars in dementia care'™

Nurturing staff™

How to recognise and support the emotional labour and emotions at work which being person centred creates in staff.

Dementia care environments / gardens

How to design or adapt a care service practically so that the environment works in enabling person centred care.

Implementing the matching project™

How to look at the overall needs of large numbers of people living together - grouping people with more common needs.

Setting up later 'stage' dementia care.

How to focus on providing specific later stage dementia care.

Measuring quality of life outcomes

How to demonstrate quality of life improvements internally within the service and externally to commissioners, inspectors and auditors.