The project aims to boost the skills of Scotland's allied health professionals
A new initiative has been launched to help those living with dementia.
Created by Alzheimer Scotland, the new framework will help bolster the vital skills and education of Scotland’s allied health professionals (AHPs) across the health and social care sector as the number of people with dementia rises.
Developed through collaborative working with the Scottish Government, the allied health professional community and the experiences of people living with dementia, the Connecting People, Connecting Support framework features as one of the key commitments outlined in Scotland’s third national dementia strategy (2017-2020).
Speaking at the launch event, Jacqui Lunday-Johnstone, chief health professions officer at the Scottish Government, said: “The launch of our new allied health profession policy is an important step forward and I would like to extend my thanks for all the work completed to help us reach this stage.
“Connecting People, Connecting Support is not only the first policy of its kind for Scotland, it presents all AHPs, regardless of profession or service setting, with a great opportunity to realise their full skill-sets and work in new ways to deliver support and enablement for people with dementia.”
The charity has said allied health professionals are a distinct group of people who apply their specific expertise to improve health, prevent illness, diagnose, treat and rehabilitate people of all ages and conditions working across all sectors and specialties.
This new framework aims to deliver a more unified approach to dementia care by delivering the right care, in the right place, at the right time and by improving the overall experiences of lives of people with dementia.
Henry Simmons, Alzheimer Scotland chief executive, said: “The new commitments, as outlined in Scotland’s progressive and ambitious third national dementia strategy, build on existing guarantees and take us closer to delivering a high quality, person centred service for people with dementia and their families, from the point of diagnosis to the end of life.
“Going forward we hope that enter into a new chapter that reflects a new synergy between the world of allied health professionals and their expertise and the lives of people with dementia.”
