Essex-based care homes operator Care UK is to invest more than £500,000 in developing its service for residents living with dementia as part of a new contract with the University of Worcester.

Much of the money will be spent on what the company describes as one of the most comprehensive programmes of training and awareness-building that it has ever engaged in.

Care UK, which is based in Colchester and has 114 care homes in England and Scotland, including more than a dozen in East Anglia, has selected the Association for Dementia Studies at the University of Worcester as its partner for the project.

Andrew Knight, Care UK’s managing director for residential care services, said: “We’re already known for our resourceful, compassionate and innovative approach to caring for people with dementia but we are always striving to be even better.

“Linking to an academic partner will help us to use the very latest in dementia research to ensure we are at the cutting edge of residential dementia care over the next decade.”

Care UK spent four months evaluating possible academic partners from universities across the UK, with the Worcester team eventually being chosen for its strong research base and its willingness to develop a tailored programme, based on an understanding of Care UK’s current and future dementia care services.

Mr Knight added: “We were particularly impressed by the fact that the Association for Dementia Studies at the University of Worcester wanted to develop a really tailored programme which will make a difference to every member of our team from carers and housekeeping colleagues to my executive team.

“The two organisations also have a lot of shared values around respect, seeing people as unique individuals, and recognising the importance of our teams working closely with the family and friends of residents and other members of the community.”

Professor Dawn Brooker from the University of Worcester, who will lead the team of academics supporting Care UK, said: “We were delighted to be given the opportunity to undertake this work with Care UK. We were particularly impressed by the care that was taken in commissioning this dementia skills development programme.

“Person-centred care requires sign-up to working in this way across the whole care provider organisation if it is to be sustained over any length of time. The education programme that we are working on here supports leadership at all levels and will enable all staff to provide the best quality care for people living with dementia.”