Exploring experiences of a new ‘one-stop clinic’ for memory assessment
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring service users’ experiences of a new ‘one-stop clinic’ for memory assessment.
IRAS ID
127042
Contact name
Ailsa J Lord
Contact email
Research summary
Dementia has recently been prioritised in UK health and social care policy, following recommendations from a report published by the Alzheimer’s Society (2007), resulting in attempts to increase national awareness of dementia, diagnose people earlier, and improve the quality of care that is available to those living with dementia (e.g. see Department of Health [DH], 2009; DH, 2012). Consequently, memory assessment services have been commissioned and aim to provide appropriate care from the point of initial assessment and identification of dementia, to intervention and rehabilitation (NICE, 2007). A key component of these services is to improve the early identification and diagnosis of dementia, a driver behind which is the financial burden dementia has created in the UK (NICE, 2007).
Following a ‘Rapid Improvement Event’ (see NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement, 2013), which aimed to respond to the drive for cost-effective service-delivery and streamline this across the NHS Trust, a new Memory Assessment Service ‘one-stop clinic’ was launched, where referred individuals can attend an assessment appointment at the clinic and leave that day with (or without) a diagnosis of dementia. This model offers a quicker alternative to its lengthier predecessor. This new service has been running since July 2012 and it is important to understand how it is experienced by those who use it and to consider the challenges this may raise in terms of maintaining the best quality of care in the face of cost-efficiency savings.
The overall aim of this study is to explore the experiences of adults who have been through this ‘one-stop clinic’. It is anticipated that interviewing service-users who have been assessed at the one-stop clinic will provide a rich and useful account of what this process was like, thus providing information on the impact of recent policy changes and drivers.
REC name
North West - Preston Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/NW/0642
Date of REC Opinion
17 Sep 2013
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion