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   Dementia sufferers 'losing out' says MP  

The report finds that dementia has not received the priority status from the NHS, the Department of Health or social care that it deserves
The report finds that dementia has
not received the priority status from
 the NHS, the Department of Health
or social care that it deserves

South Norfolk MP Richard Bacon has said that dementia sufferers and their carers are losing out on services and support, as a new report finds that tackling dementia is not a priority for the NHS.

Mr Bacon said: “The NHS may be tackling cancer and coronary heart disease head on, but it is losing the fight against dementia.  The NHS has no strategy or leadership in place and the belief that nothing can be done to tackle dementia has been allowed to take hold.  The NHS must change this mindset without delay”. 

 


“The NHS saves £5 billion a year because dementia suffers are being cared for by their family or friends, many of whom pay a high price for their labour of love.  The NHS must repay this debt and ensure carers get the support to which they are entitled”.

Mr. Bacon, MP for South Norfolk, was speaking as the Commons public accounts committee published its report on improving support for people with dementia.  Dementia costs the NHS £14 billion per year.  Although the number of dementia cases is predicted to increase by 30 per cent over the next 15 years, the disease is not currently an NHS priority, unlike cancer and coronary heart disease. 

There is no single individual with responsibility for improving dementia services, and the report finds that between a half and two-thirds of dementia sufferers never receive a diagnosis.  The report also finds that few in the medical profession or the public know what can be done to help people with the disease. 

Informal carers supporting people with dementia save the NHS and social care over £5 billion per year. These unpaid carers are usually family members and without the care they provide, the present system of dementia care would collapse.

However, carers are often poorly supported, with few receiving their entitlement to a carer’s assessment and many unable to access good quality respite care or domiciliary care.

24 January 2008

See also:
PAC REPORT: Improving services for people with dementia

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© Richard Bacon 2008