Care-Planning Co-Production Legislation, Policy and Guidance Implications for People Affected by Dementia in England: A Scoping Review

This article reports on a scoping review of legislation, policy, and guidance for England on care-planning co-production within dementia care. Systematic searching of online repositories uncovered nineteen documents, and synthesis revealed seven key categories representing practice requirements and recommendations: ‘person-centred care plan’, ‘accessibility and support’, ‘involvement of person with dementia’, ‘involvement of partners-in-care’, ‘decision-making’, ‘treatment goals and outcomes’, and ‘care plan review’. Findings validate the premise that care-planning should always be co-produced with people affected by dementia as experts-by-experience, and support practice principles previously identified by this group within the empirical literature. Health and social care professionals can use this learning to improve care-planning practice. However, a disconnect persists between national expectations for service providers to co-produce care-planning and users’ reported experiences, with many expressing dissatisfaction at being treated as passive recipients. Consequently care-planning co-production stills needs a stronger evidence base and more practical support to achieve statutory guidance ambitions.