The DETERMIND Study
DETERMIND is an ambitious dementia research project funded by the
Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and led by researchers from:
Nottingham University
The London School of Economics & Political Sciences
Newcastle University
Sussex Partnership NHS Trust
University of Sussex
King’s College London
University of York
University of Plymouth
Queen Mary University of London
Cambridge University
Background to the project
Dementia is one of the most common and serious conditions society faces. More than 900,000 people are affected in the UK, and dementia care costs £23 billion each year. The negative impacts can be overwhelming for people living with dementia and their families, friends and close supporters.
Research has shown that there are differences in the level and quality of care between people with dementia. These differences can vary by:
Ethnic background
Whether the person living with dementia or their local authority pay for their care
Whether a person is diagnosed with dementia earlier or at a later stage in the development of the condition
The DETERMIND project will look at these very important questions about why care is unequal. It will also look at what unequal care means for people with dementia in terms of their health, the cost of their care, and their level of comfort and happiness – or ‘quality of life’.
We aim to explore and understand the answers to these questions:
What are the differences in dementia care and who gets worse or better care?
What aspects of dementia care lead to good and bad quality of life outcomes?
How are outcomes for people with dementia affected by the cost of their care, when they are diagnosed, the amount of health or social care they get, and their life circumstances?
These answers will help improve care for people with dementia and their carers. By improving care, we hope to improve quality of life outcomes too.
The DETERMIND project is made up of seven smaller projects or ‘workstreams’(WS):
