Elizabeth's Wish
Better Dementia Care, Safer Hospitals
The Policy
Elizabeth’s Wish is a national call to strengthen and safeguard dementia care in every NHS hospital.
Built on evidence, lived experience, and frontline clinical insight, this policy sets out practical, achievable reforms designed to prevent avoidable harm and ensure dignity for people living with dementia.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of people with dementia are admitted to hospitals and too many experience confusion, preventable deterioration, poor communication, or unsafe care. A lack of compassion from staff does not cause these failings, but rather systems that are inconsistent, undertrained, and lacking clear accountability.
This policy proposes targeted, realistic changes that will immediately improve patient safety, staff confidence, and family experience.
Key Policy Changes
Mandatory, tiered dementia training for all hospital staff, clinical and non-clinical using evidence-based national standards.
Dedicated dementia governance, with Trust-level clinical leadership responsible for monitoring quality, safety, and outcomes.
Enhanced carer involvement, ensuring families are recognised as partners in care with clear rights and communication pathways.
Safer hospital environments, adopting proven dementia-friendly design, signage, and sensory adaptations.
Improved delirium prevention and early recognition, aligned with NICE guidelines to reduce avoidable complications.
Routine data reporting and accountability, ensuring standards are met consistently across every Trust.
What We’re Asking the Government to Do
Adopt and mandate this national hospital dementia care standard across England.
Require NHS Trusts to implement tiered dementia training for all staff.
Strengthen monitoring through the CQC and NHS England.
Ensure carers’ rights and involvement are respected as part of hospital care.
Support hospitals with the resources needed to meet these standards.
These reforms are not radical; they are necessary. They would have protected Elizabeth, and they will protect thousands of others. By supporting this policy, you are helping to create a safer, kinder, and more accountable NHS for every person living with dementia.
Policy Documents
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