Uticopa Blog

 A new claim by campaigners is gaining momentum in the media. They say that thousands of Alzheimer's patients could be suffering more than they should be.  Why? In this age of more and more Britains living longer, combined with fewer of working age paying those vital N.I. contributions, has contributed to an NHS regime no longer able to afford vital services.  So, cost-cutting measures are the order of the day - and it seems that dementia services are having to bear the brunt.

Campaigners say that one in three health trusts have actually been reduced, as have vital services such as district nurses and day centres. A survey published by the Alzheimer's Society is scathing. It found that  two in five trusts actually fail to provide any services at all.  So, what can be done?

The society's data records show as many as 700,000 people currently suffering from dementia in Britain with the number predicted to rise to one million within the next eighteen years. 

Elsewhere in the media, a survey for GP Magazine showed services may be getting worse despite the NHS budget doubling to almost £100 billion a year.  It seems that as much as thirty per cent of primary care trusts have either shut down completely or downgraded their dementia services over the past three years. There is also evidence that the number of district nurses has been pared down to an absolute minimum as have day centres. In fact, nearly half the number of trusts admitted that they did not provide any specific dementia services at all.

In the light of such alarming news, it is interesting to see what Neil Hunt, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society, had to say about it all:
"The NHS is completely failing to face up to the fact that we have a serious issue here, not just in terms of numbers but in terms of the terrible impact of dementia on an increasing number of sufferers or their families.

"If we were talking about cuts to services for another disease, such as cancer, there would be a national outcry, and the NHS would not be able to get away with it.

"What we need the NHS to do is to detect the signs of dementia, diagnose it early, break the news properly and offer sources of help. That is not happening.

"Patients have told us that early diagnosis helps them make plans and get support in place before things get really bad.

"Services have always been patchy across the NHS but to hear PCTs are cutting them back is too much."

But what does the general public think about all this? 

It is well-known that the author, Terry Pratchett,  - himself a sufferer - has called for an increase in dementia research, so this latest news is all the more galling. It wasn't that long ago when he personally delivered a petition to Downing Street calling on more help for dementia patients. He warned Gordon Brown at the time that Britain was facing a 'tsunami of Alzheimer's' unless more money was made available for research into finding a cure.
Emma Bower, editor of GP magazine, concurred. She said: "Specialist services are vital to ensure people with dementia are identified early, and patients and families receive support.

"But our figures show that in many areas this is not possible because the services either aren't there or have been withdrawn. It leaves GPs in a very difficult position because they are unable to get their patients the help that they need."

But what, in its defence, does the government say about it all? When asked specifically, a spokesman for the Department of Health admitted dementia was one of the ‘greatest challenges' facing the NHS and social care services."That is why our national dementia strategy is so important," he added. "It will set out how we will improve the quality of life for people with dementia and their families, improve the quality of care dementia sufferers receive, increase awareness of the condition and ensure earlier diagnosis and intervention."
Let us hope we do not have too long to wait.