Health trust set to refuse treatment for people with Alzheimer's

East Sussex County Healthcare Trust is threatening to stop assessing people with Alzheimer's for treatment with anticholinesterase drugs, which are known to have benefited many people with the disease, as they can help relieve the symptoms of their condition. Despite strong opposition from the Alzheimer's Society, the trust says it may be forced to introduce the controversial measures to make up for insufficient funding.

David Sutcliffe, chairman of the Eastbourne and district branch of the Alzheimer's Society says:

'This policy is highly discriminatory and if given the green light will have a devastating impact on people with Alzheimer's disease in East Sussex. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence has said that these treatments are both clinically and cost effective and should be made available to people in the early stages of Alzheimer's. We cannot understand why the trust finds it acceptable to limit treatment for people with dementia in this way.'

Under the proposed three-month moratorium people living in care homes would be denied dementia drugs 'unless permitted within resources'. Priority will be given to those living in their own homes.

David Sutcliffe says:

'It is wrong to assume that people with Alzheimer's disease in care homes can't benefit from these drug treatments. There is no good financial or moral reason why they should not receive equal access to healthcare. It appears that the trust has picked on one of the most marginalised groups in our society; people who are often too physically and mentally frail to speak out for themselves.'

Neil Hunt, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society says:

'This is a public scandal and one of the worst examples of discrimination in the country that we have seen. There is no cure for Alzheimer's disease and these drugs help to improve the quality of life for many people with Alzheimer's disease. Why should people in East Sussex be denied access to treatment, which is widely available elsewhere? We have written to the Department of Health and the National Institute for Clinical Excellence to ask them what action they will take to end this unacceptable state of affairs.'

Notes for editors:

• NICE approved three anticholinesterase drugs (Aricept, Exelon, Reminyl) as clinically and cost effective in 2001.
• The Alzheimer's Society is the UK's leading care and research charity for people with dementia and their carers and celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2004.
• Over 750,000 people in the UK have dementia. More than half have Alzheimer's disease.
• Dementia affects one in 20 people over the age of 65 and one in five over 80.
• There are 18,500 people in the UK under the age of 65 with dementia.
• For information and advice on Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia call the Alzheimer's Society national helpline on 0845 300 0336.

Our website address is: http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/

Press or media enquiries should be directed to the press office on 020 7423 3595.