Leeds Beckett research highlights lack of specialised dementia training for many care staff
More than half of adult social care staff begin looking after patients despite having had no dementia training, according to new research
Last updated 16th Apr 2026
Alzheimer’s Society is demanding such training be made mandatory amid concerns “baristas can receive more training to make great coffee” compared with care workers being taught how to look after vulnerable adults.
The charity commissioned analysis by the Centre for Dementia Research at Leeds Beckett University and the IFF Research agency, which reviewed 119 training packages across 53 social care providers in England as well as surveying 184 care staff.
They found that fewer than half (47%) of social care staff received dementia training as part of their induction, which they said leads to the conclusion that more than half of staff start out caring for people with dementia without any training at all.
Half of dementia training packages were found to include only one or two hours of dementia-specific content, while just over a third (39%) of training was said to be delivered at the level recommended for staff who regularly care for people with dementia.
Just 52% of staff surveyed said they felt very competent in the care they were providing, the charity added.
The organisation said most dementia care is provided through social care rather than the NHS, but that while it would be up to Government how to respond to its call for training to be mandatory, it is possible this could be done through the health service.
Around a million people in the UK have dementia, the society said, with this figure expected to rise to 1.4 million by 2040.
Michelle Dyson, chief executive at the Alzheimer’s Society, said gaps in training can put people with dementia at risk of “inadequate care”.
She 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 haven’t 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 dementia 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’s crucial that the UK Government includes a requirement for all relevant adult social care workers in its dementia plan.”
The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services said it welcomes “any call for upskilling and providing adequate training for care staff as part of improving the lives of those living with dementia”.
Its president Jess McGregor said: “Our social care system is vastly underfunded and we need a proper plan and funding to support the provision of training, and to ensure that all care workers have access to comprehensive professional training and are reimbursed to attend.
“This is a high priority given the hugely valuable role care workers play in the lives of those people in our communities who draw on care and support, and their families.”
In a speech last month, Baroness Louise Casey, who is leading a major review into adult social care in England, suggested dementia is not given the necessary focus in healthcare because it generally affects retired elderly people.
She called for investment in dementia trials to be urgently scaled up and for a new full-time dementia tsar to be appointed.
The Department of Health and Social Care said at the time that it was “accelerating work to transform dementia care and research, including by creating a dementia leadership role to drive forward action”.
The Government has been contacted for comment regarding mandatory training.