What Are Admiral Nurses and How Can They Help?
Admiral Nurses are specialist dementia nurses who provide life-changing support, advice, and guidance for families affected by all forms of dementia.
Currently (at the time of posting), there are 483 Admiral Nurses working across the UK. Many cover several GP surgeries and health centres, but they are not available in every area.
What do Admiral Nurses actually do?
Admiral Nurses are highly trained specialist nurses who focus on the whole family, not just the person living with dementia. They offer:
- Practical advice on managing day-to-day challenges
- Emotional support for carers and family members
- Help with complex behaviours, medication, and care planning
- Guidance on legal and financial matters
- Crisis support when things become overwhelming
They act as a consistent point of contact — something that is often missing in standard dementia care.
How to access an Admiral Nurse
Because availability varies by region, you can check local coverage by:
- Asking your GP, social worker, or social prescriber — they can check eligibility and make a referral.
- Contacting Dementia UK directly on their free Admiral Nurse Dementia Helpline: 0800 888 6678 (Monday–Friday 9am–9pm, weekends 9am–5pm) or email: helpline@dementiauk.org
The helpline team holds a full UK database and can quickly tell you if there is an Admiral Nurse service in your area.
If you would like specialist live-in care support alongside Admiral Nurse input, you can read more about our dementia live-in care services here.