National Audit of Dementia (NAD)

National Clinical Audit

Delivered by:

Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych)

Website:

Measures the performance of general hospitals and memory assessment services in England and Wales against standards relating to care delivery which are known to impact people with dementia. These standards are from national and professional guidance, including NICE Quality Standards and guidance, the Dementia Friendly Hospitals charter, and reports from the Alzheimer’s Society, Age Concern and Royal Colleges. Standards are updated for every round of audit.

Dementia care and treatment remains a critically important issue for patients and families, as well as for communities and society.” Spotlight Audit in Memory Assessment Services 2023/24, NAD

The programme has seen discernible improvement in some aspects of care in general hospitals since auditing began in 2009. For example, by the end of 2024, there were significant improvements in assessments of pain and delirium. NAD continues to highlight the need to identify when a person living with dementia is admitted to a hospital as crucial to the monitoring and planning of care quality.

Supporting improvement

Quality Improvement webinars focussing on topics prioritised for improvement and celebrating success are regularly organised by this programme, with presentations from audit leads. More information on these, as well as informal peer networks, can be found on the NAD website.

Additional data and resources

In addition to HQIP-published reports below, further information can be found on the NAD website.