NHS & Integrated Care Systems
Helping NHS staff respond consistently to dementia-related distress
What if dementia-related distress was understood earlier?
Across NHS services, dementia-related distress is common and often can be difficult for staff to interpret and respond to consistently.
Around 90% of people living with dementia experience behaviours that staff find challenging to understand, particularly during periods of illness, transition or environmental change.
Without the shared framework and appropriate training, responses can unintentionally increase distress, leading to:
The 6D Dementia Approach
6D Dementia provides psychologically informed, role-based training that helps NHS staff understand behaviour as communication and respond earlier and more effectively.
The approach is built around a simple, shared framework:
The approach is designed to support consistent practice across teams, roles, and services, not just individual learning.
Training is delivered through a scaleable tiered model, making it suitable for use across community, inpatient, acute and mental health services.
6D Dementia is designed to support NHS services including...
Community Dementia Teams
Supports teams to understand and respond to distress earlier, improving continuity of care and reducing escalation in the community.
Older adults and mental health community teams
Strengthens psychologically informed responses to distress across complex presentations, supporting coordinated, person-centred care.
Older adults and mental health inpatient teams
Helps staff manage dementia-related distress on wards, supporting safer care, reduced escalation and timely discharge.
Primary care teams
Provides practical frameworks to support early identification, advice and appropriate onward referral for people living with dementia.
Acute Hospital Teams
Supports consistent responses to distress during admission, illness and environmental change, reducing risk and length of stay.
Liaison psychiatry and crisis teams
Enhances shared understanding and decision-making in crisis situations, supporting proportionate, psychologically informed interventions.
How We Deliver Training
Tier 1 – Bitesized video modules
CPD-accredited, bite-sized digital learning using real-world scenarios and role-specific content. Designed for scale and consistency across teams.
Tier 2 – Care-planning workshops
Interactive sessions supporting teams to apply the framework to real cases and embed psychologically informed care planning into everyday practice.
Tier 3 – Leadership and implementation clinics
Targeted consultancy and coaching for managers and senior leaders to embed 6D Dementia within pathways, policies and organisational priorities. Digital delivery forms the core offer, with optional consultancy support available to ensure implementation aligns with local policies and service models.
Impact & Evidence
Initial delivery across health and social care settings shows:
- Increased staff understanding of dementia-related distress
- Greater confidence in responding to behaviour
- Improved consistency of care approaches across teams
- Early signs of reduced escalation and improved care culture
The approach is underpinned by published research demonstrating that psychologically informed dementia training can reduce distress, inappropriate prescribing and avoidable admissions, while supporting staff wellbeing and retention
Explore whether 6D could support you or your setting
Get in touch to request further information.
