Equity in service provision for dementia patients and their families

This research examined discrimination and equity in dementia care namely whether people affected by dementia are supported through policy, practice, and research to receive care which is tailored to protected and minority needs such as age, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation, and which enables them to achieve the same health outcomes as others. 

This PhD involved a systematic review exploring the extent to which national dementia guidelines from around the world consider and make recommendations related to protected characteristics. Then, focusing on ethnicity, Tiffeny developed a new hypothesis to improve access to culturally appropriate psychosocial interventions for people affected by dementia based on evidence of what is acceptable and what works. The final part involved a qualitative study using interviews (n = 48) and thematic analysis to provide a UK example of equity in dementia care which explored the views of people affected by dementia and clinicians about the care and support that UK South Asian and White British people receive and want.  

Tiffeny has developed a set of recommendations to improve equity in dementia care that can be included in future guidelines and practice. She successfully passed her PhD in August 2022.

You can find out more about this study via these links:

Alzheimers blog page

Alzheimers report: From Plan to Impact

This research explored equity and discrimination in dementia care, specifically whether people affected by dementia are supported through policy, practice and research to receive care tailored to ethnic minorities’ respective needs, which enables them to achieve the same health outcomes as others.

This research systematically reviewed which countries have national guidelines for dementia, and explored if and how they consider minority characteristics in their recommendations. Literature was analysed to develop a hypothesis about how to improve access to culturally appropriate psychosocial interventions for people affected by dementia.

A qualitative study of semi-structured interviews explored whether access to dementia care is equitable for people from UK South Asian and White British backgrounds. 

Findings have been published in three academic journals, presented at national/international conferences, and published as a blog for Alzheimer’s Disease International - subsequently expanded to an essay for their 2022 annual report.

UCL
Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust
King’s College London