Healthwatch England publish report into Community Diagnostic Centres 

Healthwatch England has published a report entitled ‘A local diagnosis: Learning the lessons of Community Diagnostic Centres’.  

In the report, Healthwatch England identify barriers for people with dementia in accessing Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs). For example: 

“At seven sites, local Healthwatch identified issues that could be a barrier for people with dementia, including:  

  • Issues with the flooring, such as no contrasting colours between the floor and stairs. 
  • Lack of contrasting colours between toilets, toilet seats, and the walls.  
  • No dementia-friendly signage.” 

The report also makes recommendations, with those referencing people with dementia asking for: 

  • Comprehensive accessibility audits to be carried out at all CDC sites. 
  • All CDC sites to adopt a proactive approach to identifying and responding to communication needs. 
  • Information about on-site accessibility to be provided online for all CDC sites. 

You can read the report here: https://www.healthwatch.co.uk/sites/healthwatch.co.uk/