Background The West Glamorgan Dementia Care and Respite Service is a clinical and volunteer led service that provides additional support for people living with dementia. The service is funded by the West Glamorgan Regional Partnership Board and allows carers to take a break and do what matters most to them. In February 2023 we commissioned a Welsh not-for-profit social enterprise, Yma, to conduct an external evaluation of the service.

Aims The aim of the evaluation is to explore the difference the service has made to people living with dementia and those close to them, with a view to determining an optimum respite model to help prevent escalations to hospital or care homes.

Methods This evaluation is mixed methods and uses the Results Based Accountability framework. It draws on a thematic analysis of interviews with service users and Marie Curie staff, and quantitative outcomes from service user surveys. It also uses routinely collected service activity and impact data.

Results Results from the first year of operations (April 2023-March 2024) indicate that the service is having a significant impact on people caring for people with dementia. The respite provided allows carers to do what matters to them, which in turn improves their wellbeing and enables them to continue to support the person living with dementia to remain at home.

Conclusion The service is growing in scale and delivering impact for people across West Glamorgan. It is already demonstrating what aspects of service provision are most valuable to people. A year-one-end report, due in May 2024, will further illuminate individual impact, system efficiencies and cost avoidance.