Our Research
Active Research Projects
The NIHR Policy Research Unit Dementia and Neurodegeneration Queen Mary University of London (DeNPRU-QM). We develop and conduct research covering a disease’s journey from prevention through to the end of life. Our work informs government policy to ultimately improve the lives of those affected now and in the future.
Doctoral Training Centre for Integrated Care (I-Care DTC)
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The I‑Care Doctoral Training Centre focuses on joining up dementia care across health and social care so that support is more personal, coordinated and easier to navigate. It brings together primary, secondary and social care, along with community resources, to improve quality of life and independence for people with dementia from diagnosis through to the end of life. Funded by Alzheimer’s Society over eight years, the Centre is a partnership led by QMUL with LSE, Leeds Beckett University, the University of Plymouth and UCL. It focuses on independence and choice, managing complex health and care needs, improving care for under‑served communities and ensuring compassionate end‑of‑life care. The Centre will train 29 PhD students across these five universities, working closely with the NHS, social care and people with lived experience, to build the evidence needed to transform the dementia care system in the UK.
GRACE (Goal diRected, Accessible, & Evidence-based Care for Families affected by dementia) is a new way to support family carers and people living with dementia. It focuses on practical changes they can make and where to get extra help. GRACE was previously known as NIDUS (New Interventions for Independence in Dementia Studies).
Older people coming to the emergency department often face long waits in a noisy, crowded and unfamiliar environment, which can be especially difficult if they develop delirium – a sudden, temporary state of confusion that affects thinking, attention and awareness of surroundings. Delirium affects around a third of older patients in emergency departments and is linked to higher risks of falls, moving into a care home and even death. This project aims to understand how delirium affects older people in emergency departments and how it contributes to pressures on staff, beds and patient flow. By collecting detailed data on patients’ experiences and outcomes, the ADEPT study will lay the groundwork for a larger research programme to improve delirium care, enhance safety and quality of life, and reduce strain on emergency services.
A growing number of people with dementia live alone without a close relative or friend to help them stay well, attend appointments or keep socially connected. They are more likely to experience poor physical and mental health, loneliness and earlier hospital or care home admissions, yet we know relatively little about how best to support them. This 24‑month project, based in London, Devon and Yorkshire, explores the needs and strengths of people with dementia who live alone, and how primary and social care teams can work with them to plan care that supports safety and independence. Through interviews, observations of care‑planning conversations and co‑production workshops with people living with dementia, carers and professionals, we are developing a practical training resource to help staff create more effective personalised care plans for people with dementia who do not have an informal carer.
DEM-VW
Many people with dementia would rather receive treatment at home, and hospitals can be distressing and sometimes leave people more physically and cognitively unwell. Virtual wards are being rolled out across the UK to provide “hospital at home” care, but we know very little about how well they work for people with dementia and their families. This project explores how and when virtual wards work best for people with dementia, including those from different communities and backgrounds. We will review national policies, carry out in‑depth case studies in four virtual ward services, survey virtual wards across England, and work with people living with dementia, carers and professionals in workshops to co‑produce practical recommendations. Our goal is to shape future policy and services so that virtual wards can better support people with dementia at home, reduce inequalities, and improve experiences for families and staff.
REACH
The Remote Emergency Access Coordination Hub (REACH) is a scheme in North East London where specialist doctors support ambulance paramedics caring for older people, helping more people receive urgent care safely at home when they do not need or want to go to hospital. The service has already reduced the number of older people taken to hospital after an ambulance call-out, but we do not yet know what happens in the days and weeks that follow. This project will link ambulance and hospital data to understand people’s outcomes after a REACH assessment and compare care in North East London with other parts of London. We will also interview older people, carers and clinicians to understand how REACH works in practice and how it could be improved. Working closely with patient and public partners, we will use these findings to develop practical guidance, case studies and business plans to support North East London and other areas to design similar services and spread best practice nationally.
A Delirium (UK) James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership
The Delirium (UK) James Lind Alliance (JLA) Priority Setting Partnership (PSP) is a national initiative bringing together patients, carers, and clinicians to identify and prioritize unanswered questions about delirium prevention and care. The goal is to highlight the most vital areas of research to funding bodies.
This programme is led by our colleagues at UCL, with our team at QMUL leading Study 1 - literature reviews. Many people with dementia are prescribed antipsychotic medicines each year to help with distressing symptoms such as agitation, aggression or psychosis. However, these medicines can be dangerous: past research has shown they can increase the risk of death, especially when used for too long, and some groups – including women and people from minoritised ethnic communities – may be more affected than others. This project will use anonymous GP records from across the UK to understand how often antipsychotics and alternative (“substitute”) medicines are prescribed to people with dementia, how well safety checks are carried out, and who is most at risk of harm. Working with carers, clinicians, policy‑makers and researchers, the team will use these findings to improve guidance and make prescribing safer and fairer for people living with dementia.
Led by our colleagues at UCL, with our QMUL team leading the qualitative research. Younger people can also develop dementia, but it is often missed or misdiagnosed. Many families tell us it takes months or even years to get answers, because symptoms such as changes in personality, speech, vision or mood may be mistaken for other conditions. This project brings together GPs, dementia, social care and public health experts, and people with lived experience from the UK and Europe to improve how younger people with dementia are recognised and supported.