Specialist care services

At HC-One, we support more people in elderly care settings across Britain than any other care provider. Many of our residents live with complex needs such as dementia, and our aim is always the same – to help them live their best lives.

Our specialist services range from innovative dementia care through our Specialist Dementia Care Communities, to short-term reablement and recovery pathways through our Enhanced Discharge to Assess (D2A) service. By combining our expertise in dementia care, our clinical approach to nursing care, and our commitment to caring with kindness, we work closely with Local Authorities and professional partners to understand the needs of the communities we serve, and together focus on meeting the needs of each individual.

Specialist Dementia Care Communities (SDCCs)

As the UK’s largest provider of dementia care to the public sector, we understand the increasing complexity of dementia and the challenges it brings to families and the adult social care sector. Our Specialist Dementia Care Communities in Preston and Glasgow are an innovative response to these challenges – designed for people with complex dementia needs, including those who experience distress or behaviours of concern.

This therapeutic approach helps us work with people living with complex dementia in a way that is compassionate, understanding, and deeply personal.

Specialist roles and training

Our SDCCs have higher staffing levels than traditional dementia care settings, and include new specialist roles to help deliver our unique approach. These include Assistant Psychologists, who work to explore and understand the reasons behind a person’s behaviours, and Therapeutic Wellbeing Practitioners, who focus on enhancing residents’ quality of life with specialist dementia-friendly activities and de-escalation practices.

All colleagues receive bespoke, specialist dementia training, developed in partnership with our Dementia Care Managers, which explores dementia in depth, wellbeing and occupation, and health and safety, to ensure they feel confident and skilled in supporting people with complex dementia needs.

Expertly-designed environments

Our Specialist Dementia Care Communities are expertly designed, with a low-arousal environment to support people living with advanced dementia. 

The home’s decoration is designed and tailored for residents living with dementia, by families and colleagues, to provide comfort, calmness and safety. There are also various facilities in our SDCCs designed to support leisure and wellbeing, including a secure garden, games room and wellbeing room to align with the interests of those living in the community.

Making a difference for residents and families

Since opening our first SDCC at Meadow Bank care home in 2022, we’ve seen remarkable results, including:

• 90% decrease in distress-related incidents
• 60% of residents showing improvement in primary behaviours of concern
• 88% of residents improving their overall complexity of need profile

Families tell us the difference made to their lives has been life-changing. One family member shared:

The future of dementia care

The number of people living with dementia is rising sharply. Through our SDCCs, we’re working with healthcare providers, policymakers, and investors to create a future with exceptional dementia care – supporting older people to live with dignity, purpose, and compassion.

To find out more about our specialist dementia care communities, contact our professional Careline team on 0333 999 8699, or to discover more about the different types of care we offer, visit our types of care page.

Enhanced Discharge to Assess 

At HC-One, we are dedicated to supporting our communities, which includes working with our partners across health and social care to support patients and their families in their journey to recovery after time in hospital. 

That’s why we have developed the Enhanced D2A Service, providing an efficient D2A pathway to help free up hospital beds, while ensuring patients who are discharged from an acute setting can rest and recover in a homely, caring environment. 

Compared to longer-term care in one of our care homes, the aim of Enhanced D2A care is to support people in regaining their independent living skills, with the aim of leaving and returning home. 

Our person-led approach to reablement means each patient using this service will be supported to build confidence and regain the skills they need to live independently.  

The living environment of our Intermediate Care Centres is carefully designed to enable these outcomes, with access to facilities such as an enablement kitchen, and specialist exercise and rehab equipment, available.