Dementia patients at risk as many care staff get ‘less training than coffee shop workers’, major report reveals

Vulnerable dementia patients are being cared for by staff with as little as one hour of training, a major study has warned.

Around 70 per cent of care home residents are living with the condition, yet many workers receive only the most basic preparation.

Experts say the shortfall is leaving workers ‘unprepared and unsupported’, with serious consequences for the quality and safety of care.

The findings, from research commissioned by Alzheimer’s Society and led by the Centre for Dementia Research alongside IFF Research, show that half of all dementia training courses last just one to two hours.

More than a third of staff lack a basic understanding of dementia, while just 52 per cent feel ‘very competent’ supporting those with the condition.

Around one million people in the UK are living with dementia – a figure expected to rise to 1.4 million by 2040 – yet only 55 per cent of care staff in England have received any dementia-specific training.

Only 39 per cent of courses meet recommended levels, and fewer than half of staff receive dementia training during their induction.

A striking 81 per cent of care workers said they want more dementia training, as the charity calls for it to be made mandatory.

Everyone experiences dementia differently. Use this checklist to help you make a note of your symptoms before you talk to your GP.

Experts say the lack of proper training is leaving workers ‘unprepared and unsupported’

Michelle Dyson, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Society, said: ‘One hour of dementia training doesn’t even scratch the surface.

‘Anything less than comprehensive training leaves care workers unprepared, coping with situations they have not been equipped for, which can put people with dementia at risk of inadequate care.

‘Baristas can receive more training to make great coffee than care workers receive to provide dementia care.

‘Care staff want and deserve better – they need training which gives them the skills and confidence to deliver the best possible care.

‘Without high-quality dementia training, social care will remain dangerously inconsistent, leaving families unsure whether loved ones will be supported with dignity and expertise.

‘We need to close the training gap – with better dementia care, everyone benefits. It is crucial that the UK Government includes a requirement for all relevant adult social care workers in its dementia plan.’

Joanne, a care worker who also cared for her father with Alzheimer’s, said staff often lacked vital skills.

She said: ‘There are often assumptions about what carers ‘should’ do and ignorance around how dementia affects people.

‘They did not provide reassurance when he was agitated – he was treated like a child.

‘If people understood the condition more, good dementia care could be much more easily replicated.’

It comes after a major win for the Daily Mail’s Defeating Dementia campaign, which will see thousands of patients fast-tracked onto clinical trials.

More than 15,500 people aged 65 to 75 have been invited to join the Dementia Trials Accelerator, aimed at speeding up the search for new treatments.

Recruitment remains a major barrier, with just 173 patients in England enrolled in late-stage trials in 2024–25 through the NIHR Research Delivery Network – far fewer than for other major diseases.

There is currently no cure for dementia, which claims 76,000 lives a year in the UK.