180: The 'D' Word with Pete Hill and guest Beth Britton MBE180: The 'D' Word with Pete Hill and guest Beth Britton MBE
UK Health Radio Podcast
Pete Hill talks with Beth Britton MBE about her journey from family carer to award-winning dementia advocate, trainer and webinar host. The conversation touches on her recent MBE, current caring role for her mum, and her commitment to co-produced dementia support and training grounded in lived experience.
38:22•21 Aug 2026
Lived Experience, MBEs and Dementia Rebels with Beth Britton MBE
Episode Overview
- Lived experience should be central in designing dementia services, training, policy and events, and must be included meaningfully rather than as a token gesture.
- Subtype diagnosis (for example Alzheimer’s, vascular, Lewy body, frontotemporal) is vital so support can be better matched to how each person is affected.
- Co-designed and co-delivered training, including people with learning disabilities and lived experience, offers richer, more relevant education for health and social care staff.
- Simple signposting and practical steps – such as contact with Admiral Nurses, environmental adjustments at home and clear goal setting – can make life easier for families.
- There is a pressing need for national dementia strategies, fair social care access and consistent information, so support does not depend on where a person lives.
“It’s not about the awards, it’s about the people you help.”
What drives someone to speak up for people affected by dementia, day after day, even when life at home is tough? This conversation on The ‘D’ Word brings together host Pete Hill and returning guest Beth Britton MBE, who chats candidly about recognition, grief, caring and why lived experience has to sit at the heart of dementia work.
Beth shares the emotional moment her MBE letter arrived, laughing at her first thought of, “What have I done wrong now?” before realising it was from the Cabinet Office and bursting into tears with her mum. She’s open about the bittersweet side too: receiving the honour just as her mum fractured her shoulder and began to show possible Alzheimer’s symptoms, pulling Beth back into full-on caring responsibilities and memories of supporting her dad.
The chat is relaxed and warm – there’s even a detour into Arsenal shirts and why the number eight means so much to Beth – but it never loses sight of serious issues. She explains how her blog ‘D for Dementia’ unexpectedly led to a career built on “the value in the voice of lived experience”, and why she now pushes hard for genuine co-production rather than token gestures.
Listeners who juggle caring with work will relate to Beth’s hectic life: co-designing and co-delivering dementia training with Jess, who lives with a learning disability; hosting 20 free webinars a year; and signposting people to practical support like Admiral Nurses and environmental tweaks at home. She argues strongly for subtype diagnoses, better national strategy, fair access to social care, and making sure people with dementia and their families shape policy from the start.
Anyone curious about how real families manage dementia, while trying to change the system at the same time, will find this conversation honest, relatable and surprisingly uplifting. Where might lived experience already be shaping your own decisions?
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