• Rhiannon Whitaker, Jane Fossey, Clive Ballard, Martin Orrell, Esme Moniz-Cook, Robert T Woods, Joanna Murray, Jane Stafford, Martin Knapp, Renee Romeo, Barbara Woodward Carlton, Ingelin Testad, and Zunera Khan.
• Psychological Services, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Fulbrook Centre, Oxford OX3 7JU, UK. jane.fossey@oxfordhealth.nhs.uk.
• Trials. 2014 Jan 1;15:284.

BackgroundPeople with dementia living in care homes often have complex mental health problems, disabilities and social needs. Providing more comprehensive training for staff working in care home environments is a high national priority. It is important that this training is evidence based and delivers improvement for people with dementia residing in these environments. Well-being and Health for People with Dementia (WHELD) combines the most effective elements of existing approaches to develop a comprehensive but practical staff training intervention. This optimised intervention is based on a factorial study and qualitative evaluation, to combine: training on person-centred care, promoting person-centred activities and interactions, and providing care home staff and general practitioners with updated knowledge regarding the optimal use of psychotropic medications for persons with dementia in care homes.DesignThe trial will be a randomised controlled two-arm cluster single blind trial that will take place for nine months across 80 care homes in the United Kingdom.DiscussionThe overarching goal of this trial is to determine whether this optimised WHELD intervention is more effective in improving the quality of life and mental health than the usual care provided to people with dementia living in nursing homes. This study will be the largest and best powered randomised controlled trial (RCT) evaluating the benefits of an augmented person-centred care training intervention in care homes worldwide.Trial RegistrationCurrent controlled trials ISRCTN62237498 Date registered: 5 September 2013.

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