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Improving dementia services in England

On 14 January 2010, the National Audit Office (NAO) published an interim report (Improving dementia services in England) which looks at the Department of Health’s role in tackling dementia.

Dementia affects about 570,000 people in England. The Department of Health stated in October 2007 that dementia was a national priority and brought forward a widely supported strategy to transform the lives of people suffering from this disorder.

The current report finds that action has so far not matched rhetoric in terms of urgency. It suggests that at the moment the department’s strategy lacks the mechanisms needed to bring about large scale improvements. Without these mechanisms it is unlikely that the intended and much needed transformation of services will be delivered within the strategy’s five year timeframe.

A number of weaknesses are identified:

• The department does not have evidence on current and future costs and benefits; the strategy is likely to cost much more than the estimated £1.9 billion over ten years.
• There is as yet no basic training for healthcare professionals on how to understand and work with people suffering from dementia.
• Strong leadership is also key to improving services, but this is not yet in place in local NHS and social care delivery organisations.
• There is not yet enough joined-up working between health and social care services for people with dementia: for instance, demand for care homes is going to rise, but the independent care home sector feels excluded from the strategy.

Improving dementia services in England – an interim report