Londoners with dementia to get better services
14.10.2009
A new approach for tackling dementia was rolled out across the capital today (Wednesday, October 14th) with the publication of guidelines to improve the quality of life for people with dementia and their carers.
Around 64,600 people in London have dementia, including 1,560 people under the age of 65. This number is forecast to rise by 14 per cent by 2021.
The Dementia Services Guide published by Healthcare for London, offers advice tothe NHS and local authorities on how to get the right services in place for people with dementia and provides practical information on the checks that should be undertaken at every stage – from the GP surgery, through to ambulance and hospital care and care in the community.
The guidelines aim to improve services for people with dementia in London through supporting people to live at home for longer and preventing unnecessary hospital stays.
Older people with dementia occupy 20 per cent of acute hospital beds across England. Around 70 per cent of these may be medically fit to be discharged. Better community care for people with dementia would help prevent unnecessary hospital stays.
The guidelines also aim to ensure people are diagnosed earlier and to improve dementia training for health professionals.
Only 37 per cent of the population estimated to have dementia in London are recorded on primary care disease registers and the London guidelines aim to support GPs to increase this so that care can be provided earlier.
Just 31 per cent of the capital’s GPs believe they have received sufficient basic and post-qualification training to diagnose and manage dementia. The Dementia Services Guide highlights the core skills required by the workforce and identifies the need for improved training.
The London Guide builds on the Government’s national five year plan Living well with dementia: A National Dementia Strategy (2009).
Dementia accounts for the biggest proportion of mental health expenditure in the UK costing around £17 billion per year – more than expenditure on stroke, cancer and cardiovascular disease combined.
The new guidelines were developed in partnership with carers, service commissioners, clinicians and third sector stakeholders from across London. The guidelines provide one of the most comprehensive frameworks for tackling dementia in England.