Uk nurses’ views on their role in hospital to care home transitions for people living with dementia

In the UK, as in the US, the transition between hospital and care home is an area of documented poor care leading to adverse outcomes including costly re-hospitalisation. While there are many stakeholders involved in the pathway, it is clear that nurses play a key role in coordinating this transfer of care, which is further complicated by dementia-related impairments such as behavioural expressions of unmet needs. Recent work in the US has examined the transition from hospital to care homes from the perspectives of nurses working in skilled nursing facilities. In this study, we interviewed 40 nurses working in acute hospitals and nursing homes in England. We report on nurses’ perspectives on the key components of quality care during this transition; their role in optimizing this transition; and their view on the key facilitators and barriers for implementing this perceived role. Implications for research, policy and practice will be discussed.