The ESRC EquaDem Network Plus aims to improve diagnostic and treatment gaps.
Dementia researchers at the University of Liverpool have been awarded a £1.5 million grant to set up the first national network on inequalities in dementia diagnosis and treatment.
The new network is just one of four dementia networks to have received £5.5 million in funding from the Alzheimer’s Society, the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
More than 944,000 people in the UK live with dementia, a neurodegenerative disease that affects memory, thinking and decision-making abilities in everyday life.
For people living with the condition and their unpaid carers, they often face many inequalities when it comes to receiving care, assessment and diagnosis.
Dr Clarissa Giebel, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Liverpool’s Population Health Institute, will co-lead the network with Ms Louise Robinson, Professor of Ageing at Newcastle University, and will bring together a network of people with academic, professional and lived experience and expertise in dementia.
The ESRC Dementia Equality Network (EquaDem) Plus in Liverpool aims to develop solutions that address challenges in dementia diagnosis and care, influencing clinical and social care practice.
By building a community of research and practice made up of seven universities, two national dementia charities, health and social care professionals and experts, and an NIHR-funded ‘dementia researcher’ based at University College London, the network aims to communicate research findings to a wider audience and policy makers, and identify solutions to related inequalities through knowledge dissemination internships and pilot projects as part of a wider strategy to focus on implementing its recommendations.
“We’re already working locally to gather input, knowledge and voices to address these inequities, and we’re excited to be able to do this on a national scale,” Giebel said.
“This network grant provides a unique opportunity to focus both on developing solutions collaboratively with people experiencing dementia and on mentoring and supporting the next generation of dementia care researchers,” Robinson said.
