The manifesto calls on the next UK Government to make dementia a key health priority.
The Alzheimer’s Society, Dementia UK, Alzheimer’s Research UK, the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) and Alzheimer Scotland have come together to produce a new manifesto on dementia ahead of the 2024 general election (4th July).
The new manifesto, Dementia: A Manifesto, calls on the next UK Government to make dementia a key health priority in the UK.
An estimated 982,000 people in the UK have dementia, a term that describes a decline in memory, thinking and decision-making abilities in everyday life.
There is currently no cure, and current care and treatment options for patients with neurodegenerative diseases are often fragmented, inaccessible, and inadequate.
The new manifesto calls on the next UK Government to better understand how to prevent, reduce and delay dementia, increase access to diagnosis and treatment, help people with dementia have access to support groups, build a care system that works for everyone, and invest in the future of dementia research.
The groups recommend the development of a cross-government national ‘brain health’ prevention strategy that addresses the health and lifestyle factors that influence the risk of developing dementia, an expansion of a promising research programme to develop accurate and practical diagnostic tools to enable the NHS to diagnose dementia and deliver treatment at scale, the creation of a national early-onset dementia framework in England and an urgent review of the NHS continuing care processes.
To boost dementia research, the Manifesto urges the government to increase substantial investment to “promote new treatments, attract investment and protect public services”, publish a long-term strategic approach to dementia research and implement policy across government, and develop a plan to “anchor and accelerate” dementia research across the UK’s health and social care sector.
Professor Siddharthan Chandran, Director of the UK DRI, said: “This is a critical time for the new Government to step up its efforts on dementia.
“Urgently addressing and improving access to dementia diagnosis and treatment will have huge benefits to both our nation’s health and wealth in slowing and preventing the progression of dementia.”
