O’Neill Launches Dementia Learning And Development Framework

Date published: 14 September 2016

Speaking at the launch the Minister said: “I am delighted to be given the opportunity to launch the Dementia Learning and Development Framework which I hope will make a major contribution to the lives of people living with dementia and their carers.”

The production of the Learning and Development framework is part of the outworking of the Dementia Delivering Social Change initiative. This initiative was launched in 2014 and aims to transform the design and delivery of dementia services in order to improve the quality of care and support for people living with dementia and their carers. Funding for the project is provided jointly by the Executive and Atlantic Philanthropies.

Concluding Minister O’Neill added: “It is vital that we have a well trained health and social care workforce to deliver high quality care for people with dementia. This is the first Learning and Development Framework for Dementia in the North of Ireland, and provides a structure that will allow managers and staff to assess their training needs and those of their teams, and it will enable educational providers to design and deliver more effective training programmes.

“I do hope that the Framework will provide an assurance to the public, that staff caring for those living with dementia have the right knowledge and skills to do their job well, to challenge the stigma that exists around dementia, and to improve communication skills with people with dementia.”