Supporting people affected by dementia to Live Well, through great everyday support

Project Background

IMPACT is working in partnership with Dementia United, the regional dementia programme led by NHS Greater Manchester, to support the NHS, public services, and the wider community to work together to deliver integrated, person-centred care and support. Through our collaboration, we will make a key contribution toGM Live-Well, the regional commitment to ensuring great everyday support is available in every neighbourhood.

From September 2025 to August 2026, this project will help people affected by dementia to live well by developing:

  • Dementia hubs. Hubs create ‘one stop shops’ within the community, connecting people with dementia and their caregivers with service providers, information and resources. They serve as a focal point within a local dementia network, aiming to improve access to a wide range of care and support services and reduce fragmentation, often complemented by online components that enable access to support and information at home.
  • Dementia navigation services. Navigators provide a single point of contact for people affected by dementia, offering tailored information, guidance and signposting to help coordinate health, social and community support throughout the dementia journey.

Our project involves delivering a range of activities across eight localities — Tameside, Stockport, Manchester, Bolton, Salford, Bury, Trafford and Oldham — from running co-production workshops to understand local community priorities for navigation services to designing pilots of new dementia hubs.

We are drawing on learning from an IMPACT evidence review that brings together research and practice evidence on how dementia hubs and navigators can support living well with dementia.

IMPACT Factfile

Our goals

  • Develop dementia hubs and navigation services, building on the existing community assets.
  • Gather and share learning about what works by supporting evaluation and drawing on good practice from across the UK and beyond.
  • Create opportunities for people with dementia and carers to shape local priorities and develop inclusive support and services.
  • Feed insights and learning into wider regional strategy, including the upcoming GM Dementia Strategy for 2026 – 2030.

Our progress

  • We have worked across Greater Manchester to build a clearer picture of the current context and ambitions in each locality, which has informed the development of local and regional plans for dementia hubs and navigation services.
  • Highlights from our practical support to local areas include designing a new dementia hub in Stockport and delivering a large community event in Tameside to build shared principles for community-based dementia services. You can find a news report and video from the Tameside event here.
  • To build the project’s profile, share emerging evidence, and gather community input, we have contributed to governance forums across the region, including Greater Manchester’s Dementia Carers Expert Reference Group. We will also share our work at the 26th International Conference on Integrated Care.
  • Our next steps are numerous and diverse across the localities. For example, in Offerton we will deliver a pilot of a new hub, whereas in Oldham we will support the evaluation and sustainability planning of an existing service. We will develop local case studies and co-produced resources, as well as regional strategic outputs that identify opportunities to share learning across the UK.

Meet Our Demonstrators: Mandy Andrew & Oli Smithson

Mandy Andrew

I am a registered nurse by background and expert facilitator specialising in change management and organisational development, with extensive experience leading change and transformational programmes in both local and complex national organisations at home and abroad.

My experience includes collaborative cross sector partnerships across health, social care, public, private and voluntary sectors. Involving people and communities at the centre to support transformation through innovation, creatively and assets-based approaches.  

    Oli Smithson

    I am a health and social care specialist with a background in service improvement and leadership in the charity sector. 
    I joined IMPACT from the Health Foundation, where I led grant funding and strategy work on health and social care innovation. My interest in social care formed while working as a support worker at the beginning of my career. IMPACT offered a unique opportunity to combine my experience of service improvement with my desire to make a difference in social care, particularly for adults with learning disabilities.