DETERMIND – Determinants of quality of life, care and costs, and consequences of inequalities in people with dementia and their carers

Principal Investigator: Professor Sube Banerjee MBE

Funded by: Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)

Partners: Brighton and Sussex Medical School, The University of Sussex, Newcastle University, King’s College London, The London School of Economic and Political Science, University of York, University of Cambridge

The ‘cost’ of dementia care

Dementia care in the UK costs £23 billion every year. For people with dementia, and their families, living with the condition can be overwhelming – high quality care is needed.

However, research shows care quality can vary by ethnic background, who pays for their care – the person with dementia or the local authority and at what stage a person is diagnosed with dementia.

The first time inequality and inequity in dementia care is being explored

DETERMIND is looking at why care is unequal, what it means for people with dementia and their health, comfort and happiness, and the cost of their care. Researchers, led by Professor Sube Banerjee will explore:

who gets better or worse care

what aspects of dementia care lead to good or bad quality of life outcomes

how outcomes for people with dementia are affected by care costs, when they are diagnosed, the amount of health and social care they get and their life circumstances.

Together, they aim to improve the care for people with dementia and ultimately life outcomes.

DETERMIND research areas

Recruit 900 people with dementia and follow their progress over 3 years

Investigate the inequalities and barriers to dementia care

Compare usage and costs of dementia services with the outcomes they produce

Compare outcomes for those who fund their own care with those who don't

Investigate how people with dementia and their carers plan and make-decisions

Compare outcomes for people diagnosed with dementia earlier or later

Coordinate the 6 other workstreams to keep the project on track

Plymouth Institute of Health and Care Research

The Plymouth Institute of Health and Care Research (PIHR) is a thriving community that conducts adventurous world-leading research with the explicit purpose of improving the health and care of the populations we serve.
Our work is grounded in the needs of the people of the South West and other rural, coastal, and deprived communities worldwide, but PIHR’s research has national and international reach and impact.