A history of Dementia UK

Since the 1990s, our charity has been supporting families facing dementia through our specialist dementia nurses, known as Admiral Nurses. We take a look at how Dementia UK has grown over the years, ensuring more families can access our life-changing dementia support.

Why Admiral Nurses?

Dementia UK, as the charity is known today, was founded by the family of Joseph Levy, who was affectionately known as ‘Admiral Joe’ due to his love of sailing. Our dementia specialist Admiral Nurses are named in his honour.

Our timeline

1990s

1990

With the help of Joseph Levy’s family, the Admiral Nurse project is launched to provide specialist dementia nurses to support families in the community. The first Admiral Nurses are appointed.

1994

The charity is registered as The Dementia Relief Trust. The first Admiral Nurse teams are established in London.

1999

The first service outside London is launched in Kent.

2000s

2000

As part of an ambitious growth plan, Admiral Nurse teams are launched in Manchester, Preston and Bolton – leading the way for the growth of Admiral Nursing across the UK.

2003

The charity rebrands as ‘for dementia’. The Admiral Nurse Competency Framework – a key element in the nurses’ professional development – is launched.

2007

Our Helpline launches – then known as Admiral Nursing DIRECT – offering people the opportunity to call, email or write for specialist dementia advice.

2010s

2013

A joint role of Chief Admiral Nurse/CEO is created and Dr Hilda Hayo is appointed – a post she still holds.

2015

Founder Trustee Jane Jason OBE retires from the Board and becomes Honorary President.

2017

With the help of our supporters, the number of Admiral Nurses tops 200.

2019

Our Helpline, now known as the Admiral Nurse Dementia Helpline, is named Helpline of the Year by the Helplines Partnership.

2020s

2020

The charity YoungDementia UK merges with Dementia UK to form one stronger, more influential organisation providing information, support and advice for people with young onset dementia (where symptoms develop before the age of 65).

2021

Our Admiral Nurses rise to the challenge of the pandemic, supporting a record 29,000 callers to our Helpline – and thousands more in hospitals, GP practices, care homes and the community. We also launch our virtual clinic service, offering appointments by phone and video call.

2023

The number of Admiral Nurses throughout the UK passes 400, working on our Helpline, in virtual clinic appointments, and in communities, GP practices, hospitals, care homes and hospices.

2024

We now have over 450 Admiral Nurses in post – and we are committed to increasing this number so that we can reach every family that needs us. We launched our first season of our ‘My life with dementia’ podcast and our ‘Dementia: what next?’ online programme.

Share