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The Prosser Perspective.... a weekly column from Dover and Deal MP Gwyn Prosser

5 February 2009

There was a time when conditions like dementia were relatively rare but this is not the case today.

People are living much longer today, which is good news but it also means that more people will go on to develop aging diseases such as dementia.

The figures are quite staggering, they show that over the next 10 years one million of us are likely to develop the condition and without urgent action now we could be facing a dementia crisis that could stretch our National Health Service and overwhelm our social care services.

Here in East Kent, we have a much higher proportion of elderly folk than elsewhere and consequently our incidents of dementia are also higher. That’s one of the reasons why I’m a member of the Parliamentary Alzheimer’s Group and why I’ve welcomed this week’s announcement from Secretary of State, Alan Johnson that Government is rolling out the first ever National Dementia Strategy.

The Strategy, backed by £150 million during this spending period, will increase awareness of dementia, ensure early diagnosis and intervention and radically improve the quality of care that people with the condition receive.

The strategy recognises that the number of people with dementia will double over the next thirty years, and the cost of care and treatment is likely to triple. Currently the direct costs of dementia to the NHS are in the region of £3.3 billion per year.

Care for people with dementia will be transformed through a whole series of innovations including the appointment of dementia advisors; better training for GPs and the provision of a national network of memory clinics staffed by specialists to provide early diagnosis and treatment.

Dementia is one of the most important health issues that we face as our population ages and the increased incidences and the projected escalation of the condition are reflected in all parts of the developed world.

The UK’s National Dementia Strategy, is a fully financed investment and it sets out the importance of information, high quality services and early diagnosis. This is a major landmark in improving services for people with dementia and it also provides better support for their carers and families.

A network of specialist services, such as memory clinics, will be established across the country. Their focus will be on early diagnosis and intervention for people with dementia and a senior member of staff will be identified in every general hospital and care home who will be charged with providing leadership to improve the quality of care for people for dementia.

In an ageing society, caring for people with dementia is one of the most important challenges we face and I know that for many people diagnosis can be difficult, care can be patchy and without adequate support, families can be under huge stress. The Strategy will change all that.

The Chief Executive of the Alzheimer’s Society has also welcomed the Strategy saying: “This announcement sets out an ambitious national rescue plan to transform the lives of people living with dementia” and he’s absolutely right.