Raising Standards, Improving Lives: NaDCAS and the Drive for Exceptional Dementia Care

Around one million people in the UK are living with dementia. Behind each of those individuals is a family, a network of carers, and a care team trying to get it right every day, in every interaction. The quality of that care varies enormously, and for too long there has been no consistent, credible benchmark against which providers could measure, demonstrate, and continuously improve it. That is the gap the National Dementia Care Accreditation Scheme (NaDCAS) was created to fill.

What NaDCAS Does and Why It Matters

NaDCAS supports care providers across the UK to develop, demonstrate, and continuously improve their dementia care through their evidence-based framework - and to evidence that commitment through a quality mark families and commissioners can trust. Their frameworks, now specialised for residential and homecare settings, were developed alongside leading research universities, sector experts, and people with lived experience of dementia, and cover nine key pillars of dementia care excellence.

Accreditation gives providers a clear, practical pathway towards care that is compassionate, enabling, dignified, and truly person-centred. The process includes assessment based on 140 evidence-based standards, tailored feedback, and ongoing development support, keeping improvement continuous and the focus firmly where it belongs: on the lives of people living with dementia.

NaDCAS and Carehome.co.uk: A Partnership That Extends That Reach

NaDCAS has recently partnered with carehome.co.uk - the UK's leading care home review website - and the implications for families, providers, and the wider sector are significant.

Families searching for specialist dementia care can now identify NaDCAS-accredited homes directly within carehome.co.uk listings. For families navigating such a difficult decision, this represents meaningful reassurance and a signal that a provider goes beyond compliance to commit to something greater.

Claire Reading, Director of Partnerships and Operations at NaDCAS, explained: "By partnering with carehome.co.uk, we can help more families access trusted information about dementia care and highlight the providers who are committed to going beyond minimum standards to deliver exceptional, person-centred support."

Will Blackwell, Chief Executive of carehome.co.uk, echoed this in his statement: “This partnership will help raise awareness of what exceptional dementia care looks like and support providers committed to delivering it.”

Better Information. Better Decisions. Better Care

This partnership matters because transparency drives improvement. Dementia is a condition that asks a great deal of everyone it touches - the person living with it, their family, and the professionals supporting them. When exceptional care is visible, recognised, and celebrated, it raises expectations across the sector and ultimately improves outcomes for the people at the centre of it all.

Take the Next Step

NaDCAS believe that all care providers should have access to the tools they need to improve outcomes for people living with dementia and so have made their frameworks free to access for all care providers. To register your interest NaDCAS accreditation and request your copy, visit www.nadcas.org.

For more information, contact Director of Partnerships Claire Reading at claire.reading@nadcas.org or call 07982 368163.