MPs condemn state of dementia services in England
Published 24 January 2008
Dementia is one of the biggest health and social challenges facing the country: in less than 20 years there will over a million people living with a form of dementia.
Today's damning report by an influential group of MPs highlights the appalling state of dementia care in the UK. Only a third of people ever receive a formal diagnosis and thousands of people are not getting the care and treatment they deserve.
Dementia is the cancer of the 1950s yet the government is only just beginning to wake up to the reality of dementia. We are delighted to be working with them on the first National Dementia Strategy but the scale of the challenge cannot be underestimated. The strategy must contain real actions; be met with real commitment and backed by adequate resources if it is to make a real difference to people's lives.
The public accounts committee is right: dementia needs to be given the same priority as heart disease and cancer in the NHS. We need public awareness campaigns; dementia training for all health and social care staff and services that can diagnose people early. The human and economic cost of dementia can't be ignored - if we live to 65, one in three of us will die with dementia.
Neil Hunt
Chief Executive
Alzheimer's Society
