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- February 2009
- National dementia strategy is only a first step, says Bupa
National dementia strategy is only a first step, says Bupa
3 February 2009
The Government’s new national dementia strategy is a welcome first step towards giving the condition the same priority as the other great health issues, such as heart failure, cancer and diabetes, says Bupa.
But while welcoming the Government’s pledge to improve early diagnosis, carer support and GP training, Bupa says real extra resources, a set timescale and targets will be needed if the strategy is to deliver the step-change in care that Ministers have promised.
Bupa, which is the largest provider of dementia care in the country, currently looks after almost 7,000 people with dementia in its 300 UK care homes - a 75 per cent increase in five years. Around 75% of residents are state-funded.
The company supports the Alzheimer’s Society’s calls for specialist dementia leads in care homes and is working with them to deliver this in Bupa care homes during 2009.
Dr Graham Stokes, head of mental health for Bupa Care Services, was a member of the expert advisory group set up by the Department of Health when it was consulting on a National Dementia Strategy. He has also published a number of acclaimed books on caring for people with dementia.
He called for a “national dementia care service” which stops the inequalities that currently affect people with dementia and their families, that is fully funded so that it delivers care and support throughout a person’s ‘life with dementia’.
Dr Stokes said: “I welcome the principle of the National Dementia Strategy but the Government is still in danger of failing people with dementia and their families.
“Early diagnosis is welcome. But it also means more people will be identified as living with dementia - and for longer. They and their families need help from specialist out-reach advisors who can help them to access appropriate support throughout the changing stages of dementia. This needs real extra resources and new ways of working if the strategy is to deliver the step-change in care that has been promised.
“The danger is that without a coherent, fully-funded strategy the Government risks devaluing and failing to respect people with dementia.”
Dr Stokes also pointed to the fact that financial strains are causing many care home operators to reduce the number of specialist dementia beds just when the demand is increasing.
“Ministers are right to tackle the stigma attached to dementia. But, overcoming stigma also includes recognising that specialist care homes play a vital role in looking after people with dementia – admission to a care home must not feel like a failure by families or carers. What matters is ensuring individuals with dementia are getting person-centred care in an appropriate care environment, delivered by people with specialist training.
“The progressive nature of the disease, and rising numbers of people with it, means a greater demand for specialist dementia beds in care homes to support people when their needs are complex and they are at their most vulnerable. We have already seen a 75 per cent increase over the past five years in the number of people with dementia for whom we care.
“The strategy needs to include incentives for more specialist care homes to be provided, with properly-trained staff. Care homes are part of the solution, not the problem and should be part of the whole system of care, not simply seen as a final resort when all else is considered to have failed. “
Dr Stokes added that because of its complexity, there are costs over and above equivalent non-dementia care which must be funded appropriately, as they are in some other countries. For example, fees for dementia care are 20% higher in New Zealand than for equivalent care for older people without dementia.
He said: “Dementia needs to be treated alongside the other ‘great diseases’ of our times, namely cancer, heart failure and diabetes. Dementia is caused by untreatable, progressive disease, and treatment should be funded by the NHS. Yet the NHS is reducing funding for dementia, NICE rejects paying for drugs which control early symptoms of dementia, and research into it is a fraction of the other great diseases.
“We need a ‘national dementia care service’ which stops the inequalities that run through our current system.”
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