| MP Urges Action As Dementia Levels Set to Soar |
| Friday, 25 January 2008 | |
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The number of cases of dementia is set to soar by over 30% over the next 15 years a report published today has indicated. The report, published by the Public Accounts Select Committee, claims that as the average age of the population increases there is set to be an explosion in the number of people suffering from dementia - and warns that current systems of care could struggle to cope.
Local MP John Pugh, Liberal Democrat representative for Southport, claims that many problems stem from dementia not being diagnosed early enough, or even not at all. Speaking this morning Dr Pugh, a member of the committee which published the report, said: “Due largely to the fear of the condition, the belief among both public and professionals that little can be done to help sufferers, and even the lack of knowledge of some GPs, dementia is never formally diagnosed in up to two-thirds of cases. Many suffers are also not being diagnosed early enough and, when diagnosed, end up in hospital beds or care homes, deprived of the specialist care they need." The report found that the task of looking after a sufferer often falls upon informal carers, the majority of which are family members. Though Dr Pugh recognised such carers had a vital role to play, he claims they are not receiving an adequate level of support from the system: “Dementia must be given the same priority as cancer and coronary heart disease and, like those conditions, be accorded a single leader within the Department of Health with the power to drive through improvements in diagnosis, treatment and care. One of the most important ways forward is to raise among health and social care professionals awareness of dementia and the options available for treating and caring for sufferers. "The way dementia is currently diagnosed and treated in this country is a source of national shame. Not only is it severely impacting on the quality of life for thousands of sufferers, it is often costing the taxpayer millions as resources are employed incorrectly. If this were not enough in itself, the problem is set to worsen exponentially as the average age of the population increases." “I very much hope that the Public Accounts Committee will succeed in raising dementia up the NHS agenda – just as it has done for hospital acquired infection and stroke.” |