Oxford researchers have presented findings on communication support for dementia patients at a mental health conference.

Members of the Oxford Health Research and Development team attended the 29th International Mental Health Nursing Research Conference at St Catherine's College, Oxford.

The event aimed to share knowledge and best practice in mental health nursing research.

Around 130 people attended in person, with an additional 70 people joining online.

They included researchers, clinicians, clinical-academics, and research delivery staff from around the world.

Topics discussed included the portrayal of mental health in the media, treatment approaches for mental health conditions, and support for mental health nursing students and staff.

Debbie Moll, research speech and language therapist in the memory and cognition research delivery team, and Jemima Littlejohns, research training and development manager at Oxford Health, attended the conference.

They presented findings from the CoDAQ study into speech and language therapy services to support communication in people with dementia and their caregivers.

Ms Moll said: "The conference was a fantastic opportunity to share our research into communication support for people with dementia.

"We had some interesting conversations about quality of life in relation to dementia-related communication difficulties and the associated impact on both people with the condition and their friends/relatives."

Ms Littlejohns added: "The event was a fantastic chance to network with people from other universities and clinical settings.

"It was great to see the importance of research in early mental health nursing careers highlighted."