Dementia NI raises awareness of Herbert Protocol initiative

Dementia NI is rolling out a series of awareness-raising events, including recent events in Ballymoney and Belfast, to raise awareness of The Herbert Protocol, and how it can help to trace missing people with dementia.

The events welcomed key stakeholders and local community representatives in addition to social workers, dementia and mental health professionals from the Health and Social Care Trusts across Northern Ireland, to hear first-hand accounts of how The Herbert Protocol can help individuals, families and communities that are supporting people with a dementia diagnosis.

Andrea Hughes, Head of Development at Dementia NI, said:

“Around 70% of people with dementia may go missing at least once, so The Herbert Protocol allows families with a loved one living with dementia the opportunity to provide a range of information to the police which can then be used to help them act quickly if the person with dementia becomes lost or goes missing.

“It was first launched on World Alzheimer’s Day in 2022, and it continues to be rolled out across Northern Ireland in partnership with the PSNI, the Department of Health, and the local Policing and Community Safety Partnerships (PCSPs).”

Dementia NI members, all of whom have a diagnosis of dementia, campaigned to bring The Herbert Protocol to Northern Ireland. As part of their ongoing work to bring positive change for local people with dementia, they co-designed the form with the PSNI, drawing on their lived experiences to ensure it would be useful and accessible for people with dementia.

Martin Murtagh, a Dementia NI member from Belfast, who lives with Alzheimer’s, spoke at the events, saying:

“It is frightening to get lost when you live with dementia. Once I went out walking alone and ended up at Belfast City Airport. I felt very confused about how or why I had got there. I think I went there because I had been many times in the past with my wife.

“The Herbert Protocol allows me to keep my independence and reassures me that should I ever go missing in the future, police will have the information they need to search for me right away.”

The Herbert Protocol form gathers relevant information including previous workplaces and other places of significance that a person with dementia may travel to, such as a childhood home. It is completed and kept at home, with a relative or next of kin, and is provided to police to help them find the person quickly should they go missing.

The Herbert Protocol is referenced in Episode 5 of the third series of Blue Lights on the BBC, with a storyline of a man living with dementia requiring support to get home. The producers consulted with a member from Dementia NI to ensure they portrayed the character with sensitivity and respect.

The Herbert Protocol form can be downloaded from the PSNI website at www.psni.police.uk/herbertprotocol or from the Dementia NI website at www.dementiani.com/campaigns/herbert-protocol.