Alzheimer’s Society responds to Andy Burnham’s social care reform speech

Prime Minister's speech on adult social care

Andy Burnham has given a speech on adult social care in England. He talked about the care given to his father who has Alzheimer's disease.

Michelle Dyson CB, CEO of Alzheimer’s Society, said:

We warmly welcome and support the Prime Minister’s commitment to tackling social care.

'As the Prime Minister knows from his own experience, people living with dementia need good quality care as early as possible, but too often families are left to navigate a fragmented system, bearing huge emotional, practical and financial pressures. 

We welcome too the ‘big conversation’ about care – it is critical that reforms have people’s experiences and insights at their very heart.'

Time to treat dementia as a priority

'Dementia is one of the biggest drivers of demand on the care system. Yet, as Baroness Casey points out, we do not treat dementia with anything like the priority we give to other conditions such as cancer and heart disease. 

Getting social care right depends heavily on getting dementia care right, making the most of the new opportunities afforded by scientific breakthroughs, which mean we can intervene earlier and keep people well for longer. 

The public is fully behind us on this – our recent polling shows that four out of five people want dementia to be made a national healthcare priority.'

The need for dementia-specific training

'Urgency is key – so it is great to see that Baroness Casey’s review will be brought forward by a year. We are also pleased to see a commitment to addressing the workforce as a matter of priority, which is a real opportunity to make sure that care workers get the dementia-specific training they need to deliver high-quality care.'

We look forward to working with our new Prime Minister on reforms that will leave a lasting legacy for people living with dementia now and in the future.