Health centre assessment tool
Health Centres include environments such as GP surgeries, clinics, dentists, etc. These places can often cause confusion for a person living with dementia; Where is the reception? What do all the notices mean? Where are the consulting rooms? Simple changes to these environments can make a big difference to a person living with dementia and help them to have greater confidence in using these facilities.
How to use the health centre assessment tool
The tool can be used by a single individual but involving others who have a different perspective, for example people with dementia or a family member, estates staff, dementia specialists or care support staff, can offer valuable opportunities for gaining different views on the care environment and how to improve it. Completing the tool together can also encourage constructive conversations about the philosophy and purpose of care.
The assessment tool contains seven sections and a set of questions to prompt discussions and should be completed in full. Walk around the care environment and consider each of the questions in turn. Give each question a score out of five, where 5 indicates that it is met completely and 1 indicates it is barely met.
A summary sheet has been provided at the end of the assessment tool which should help pinpoint the areas that might be considered for initial improvement.
You may also find it helpful to read The King's Fund report: Developing supportive design for people with dementia, which provides practical, value-for-money examples to encourage and inspire staff and their organisations to provide an environment of care that better supports people with dementia.