Finding the right dementia care home for a loved one be hard as you will want to know they will get not just safe care, but compassionate, personalised support that improves their quality of life.
One way to identify high-quality care is through dementia care accreditation, such as the National Dementia Care Accreditation Scheme (NaDCAS).
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The purpose of NaDCAS is to guide care providers to towards providing exceptional dementia care and improve the lives of people living with dementia.
Assessor Nikki Ayliff says: “Person-centred care is about kindness, compassion, understanding, and insight. And insight starts with listening to someone’s story, even when they can no longer tell it in the same way.”
This article explains what accreditation means, why it matters, and how it can help you choose the best dementia care.
Benefits of choosing an accredited dementia care home
If a care home is dementia care accredited, it shows the home:
- Exceeds minimum care standards
- Delivers high-quality, person-centred dementia care
- Embeds continuous improvement into its daily practice
- Works on boosting the confidence of the staff
- Makes families have trust in it.
During the process care home staff are encourage to reflect, collaborate and focus on what matters most – improving the lives of people living with dementia.
What does NaDCAS accreditation mean for families?
If a care home has achieved or is working towards NaDCAS accreditation, it shows a clear commitment to high-quality dementia care.
For families, this means:
Personalised dementia care
Care is tailored to each resident’s background, preferences, and routine.
Dementia-trained staff
Staff understand how dementia affects behaviour and communication, responding with empathy and patience.
Dementia-friendly environments
Care settings are designed to reduce confusion, improve safety, and promote independence.
Focus on quality of life
Residents are supported to stay engaged, active, and connected.
Reassurance for families
You can feel confident your loved one is treated with dignity and respect.
What does the NaDCAS framework involve?
At the heart of NaDCAS is a robust framework developed in collaboration with:
- Leading research universities
- Sector experts
- People with lived experience of dementia
The framework includes:
- 140 evidence-based standards
- 9 key foundations of care excellence
These standards guide providers in creating a Framework for Exceptional Dementia Care where people with dementia can thrive in environments that are compassionate, enabling, and dignified.
Why dementia care accreditation matters
For people living with dementia, the quality of the care affects:
- Daily comfort and wellbeing
- Sense of purpose and belonging
- Emotional security
NaDCAS accreditation ensures that care is not left to chance. It means:
- Environments are intentionally designed to reduce confusion and anxiety.
- Staff understand how dementia affects communication and behaviour and respond with empathy rather than assuming or correcting the person.
- Activities are meaningful and tailored to individual life stories, and families can feel confident that their loved one is known, valued, and supported as a whole person.
NaDCAS accreditation demonstrates that a care home has gone beyond minimum standards and made a clear commitment to delivering outstanding, specialist dementia care.
It signals to families, regulators, and commissioners that dementia excellence is embedded into the culture, practice, and leadership of a care setting.
How are care homes accredited?
The NaDCAS accreditation process is designed to support improvement, not just assess it.
Care homes go through several stages:
- Assessment of current dementia care practices
- Detailed feedback and a tailored improvement plan
- Ongoing support and training
- Evidence submission and review
- Final accreditation following a successful evaluation
The team guide, advise, and empower and their focus is to support meaningful, sustainable improvements that positively improve the lives of people with dementia.
What makes a good dementia care home?
When searching for a dementia care home in the UK, accreditation is one helpful indicator, but there are other key things to look for:
- A warm, welcoming atmosphere
- Staff who engage positively with residents
- Clear communication with families
- Activities that reflect the residents’ interests
- A calm, well-designed environment
Asking whether a home is part of a dementia accreditation scheme like NaDCAS can help you identify care homes that are committed to continuous improvement.
Care homes wanting accreditation
Kim Jones, Registered Manager at Millenium Care’s Worthington Lake has found: “Working with NaDCAS and achieving accreditation has been great for Worthington Lake. The framework has helped us reflect on and strengthen our approach to dementia care, ensuring that every aspect of our environment and practice is centred around the people we support.
The process has enhanced our team’s confidence, clarity, and shared sense of purpose, and we’re delighted to see the positive impact it has on the daily lives of our residents.”
Lorna Rose, chief executive of Athena Care Homes, which has five of their seven homes actively engaged in the accreditation process, added that it has given them “the chance to strengthen the quality of life for the people we support, while highlighting the passion and dedication of our teams who strive to deliver outstanding dementia care every single day.”
If you are a care home seeking accreditation, visit NaDCAS or contact Claire Reading, Director of Partnerships and Operations, on 07982 368163 or claire@dementiaaccreditation.org,
FAQs
What are the benefits of choosing a dementia-accredited care home?
Choosing a dementia-accredited care home means the provider has gone beyond minimum standards to deliver high-quality, person-centred care. Benefits include improved quality of life for residents, more confident and well-trained staff, a strong focus on continuous improvement, and greater trust and reassurance for families that their loved one is receiving compassionate, specialist support.
How are care homes dementia care accredited under NaDCAS?
Care homes go through a structured process that includes assessing current practices, receiving feedback and improvement plans, ongoing training, and submitting evidence. Accreditation is awarded after a successful evaluation, with a focus on continuous improvement and better outcomes for people living with dementia.
Why does dementia care accreditation matter?
Dementia care accreditation ensures that care goes beyond basic standards. It focuses on improving residents who are living with dementia’ quality of life, emotional wellbeing, and sense of belonging. Accredited homes provide thoughtfully designed environments, meaningful activities, and staff who understand how to support people with dementia compassionately.
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