Health ombudsman report breaks new ground in dementia care

Malcolm Pointon was 52 when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Now 63, he is severely disabled and unable to do anything for himself. Both his physical and mental health problems result from a disease of the brain and require a high level of health care. Despite this, Malcolm and thousands of other people in his condition did not qualify for free NHS care.

His wife Barbara says:

'For four years I have been fighting for free NHS care at home. All the NHS nursing and continuing care assessments were skewed in favour of physical disabilities and acute care. They failed to take into account Malcolm's severe psychological problems and the special skills it takes to nurse someone with dementia.

They also said it wasn't nursing care because I was not a qualified nurse and a district nurse wasn't intervening several times a day - a criterion impossible to meet in the community.

I made an official complaint, backed up by opinion from experts. Then when the primary care trust eventually said that Malcolm did qualify for 100% free NHS care, he could only have that care in a hospital or nursing home. Why should he take up a scarce bed when his care workers and I are willing to nurse him at home?'

The ombudsman upheld Mrs Pointon's complaint and Malcolm is now receiving 100% NHS funded care at home at £1000 per week.

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

'For too long people with dementia have been discriminated against. You would expect people with dementia to receive health care on the NHS for free, as Alzheimer's is a physical disease of the brain for which there is currently no cure. Yet people with dementia have been forced to pay for care that should be available free on the NHS.

This ruling breaks new ground by requiring the psychological, and not just physical needs of people with dementia, to be taken into account and has implications for thousands of people living at home and at residential care homes.'

Notes for editors

Barbara Pointon's complaint was made against the former Cambridgeshire Health Authority and South Cambridgeshire Primary Care Trust.

Barbara Pointon is available for interview.

• 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 the age of 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 or visit http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/