Thousands of dementia sufferers are being "failed" by a health system which does not diagnose their problems early enough or at all, the Government admitted yesterday - reports
The Daily Telegraph reports health experts claims that dementia is now costing society £539 a second.
Half of all victims never get a proper diagnosis, with symptoms attributed to "old age" because doctors are not trained to recognise the symptoms, and drugs are strictly rationed.
In a belated acknowledgement of the severity of the situation, Ivan Lewis, the care services minister, said the issue was "one of the great challenges now facing society" and that dementia must be "brought out of the shadows".
"The current system is failing too many dementia sufferers and their carers," he said, adding that the disease, "strikes fear into all of us".
Mr Lewis was speaking yesterday as he launched a group to work on a strategy to improve the diagnosis and treatment of dementia.
But how much money is he putting into tackling this serious problem - intro training of health workers and buying better (perhaps more expensive) drugs to ease people's suffering.
And could that amount be more if so much wasn't being wasted on the audit-failing EU?
Showing posts with label dementia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dementia. Show all posts
Wednesday, 8 August 2007
Tuesday, 3 July 2007
Call for improved dementia care
The NHS must urgently address failings in dementia care if it is to cope with future demands, reports the BBC.
The number of people with dementia is expected to rise by a third in the next 15 years, but the National Audit Office said it was not enough of a priority.
The report said England lagged behind other European countries over early diagnosis and access to drugs.
It likened the situation to cancer in the 1950s when patients were not told about it due to a lack of treatment.
The NAO said only a third of people with dementia are ever formally diagnosed, with many GPs failing to recognise the importance of early diagnosis.
The report said the UK was in the bottom third of European countries for giving drugs to dementia patients, while the average time taken to diagnose patients was twice as long as in some other countries.
It comes as the High Court considers a challenge by drugs companies, backed by the Alzheimer's Society, regarding the decision by the NHS to restrict the use of key Alzheimer's drugs.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, which advises the NHS on what treatments to use, has said the drugs Aricept (donepezil), Exelon (rivastigmine) and Reminyl (galantamine) are not cost effective for patients in the early stages of the disease.
It has also said another drug, Ebixa (memantine) - which is licensed for use in the later stages of the disease - should not be recommended for anyone.
Judgment in the case has been reserved, with a ruling expected by early August.
Around 560,000 people in England are estimated to have dementia but, as the population ages, that figure is expected to rise to 750,000 by 2020.
The report put the cost to the NHS and social services of caring for people with dementia at at least £3.3bn a year.
But when other costs, such as carer's time are taken into account, the overall economic burden is estimated to be £14.3bn a year.
The NAO said two thirds of people with dementia live in the community, largely looked after by nearly 500,000 informal carers, who lack support from the NHS.
It also called for more specialist services to be set up.
NAO head Sir John Bourn said: "For too long dementia has not been treated as a high priority.
"Without redesign, services for people with dementia are likely to become increasingly inconsistent and unsustainable."
Neil Hunt, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society, said: "We must develop health and social care services that can respond to the challenge of dementia."
And Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, said she hoped the criticisms would lead to the government "getting its act together".
"Too few people are being diagnosed or being diagnosed early enough and things are only going to get worse in the years to come as the population grows older," she said.
Health Minister Ivan Lewis said dementia was "one of the greatest challenges facing our society".
He said funding had been increased and incentives set up to encourage GPs to identify dementia early.
But he added: "We know a lot more needs to be done. We have a duty to strengthen mental health services so they ensure older people and their families are treated at all times with dignity and respect."
So the government acknowledges that "a lot more needs to be done" and they "have a duty to strengthen mental health services".
Yet in reality they're choosing to instead lavish a completely unjustified extra £2.5bn a year on the EU (on top of the annual £3.5bn net we already pay) rather than take greater steps towards fulfilling that self-declared "duty".
Ivan Lewis himself, even after uttering the words above, will no doubt be among the MPs happily rewarding the EU's twelve years of audit failure with this multi-billion pound boost in funding, when he votes on the EU budget deal.
Why should we stand for such blatant hypocrisy from our MPs - and people in great need going without support - while the EU enjoys even more lavish funding?
The number of people with dementia is expected to rise by a third in the next 15 years, but the National Audit Office said it was not enough of a priority.
The report said England lagged behind other European countries over early diagnosis and access to drugs.
It likened the situation to cancer in the 1950s when patients were not told about it due to a lack of treatment.
The NAO said only a third of people with dementia are ever formally diagnosed, with many GPs failing to recognise the importance of early diagnosis.
The report said the UK was in the bottom third of European countries for giving drugs to dementia patients, while the average time taken to diagnose patients was twice as long as in some other countries.
It comes as the High Court considers a challenge by drugs companies, backed by the Alzheimer's Society, regarding the decision by the NHS to restrict the use of key Alzheimer's drugs.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, which advises the NHS on what treatments to use, has said the drugs Aricept (donepezil), Exelon (rivastigmine) and Reminyl (galantamine) are not cost effective for patients in the early stages of the disease.
It has also said another drug, Ebixa (memantine) - which is licensed for use in the later stages of the disease - should not be recommended for anyone.
Judgment in the case has been reserved, with a ruling expected by early August.
Around 560,000 people in England are estimated to have dementia but, as the population ages, that figure is expected to rise to 750,000 by 2020.
The report put the cost to the NHS and social services of caring for people with dementia at at least £3.3bn a year.
But when other costs, such as carer's time are taken into account, the overall economic burden is estimated to be £14.3bn a year.
The NAO said two thirds of people with dementia live in the community, largely looked after by nearly 500,000 informal carers, who lack support from the NHS.
It also called for more specialist services to be set up.
NAO head Sir John Bourn said: "For too long dementia has not been treated as a high priority.
"Without redesign, services for people with dementia are likely to become increasingly inconsistent and unsustainable."
Neil Hunt, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society, said: "We must develop health and social care services that can respond to the challenge of dementia."
And Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, said she hoped the criticisms would lead to the government "getting its act together".
"Too few people are being diagnosed or being diagnosed early enough and things are only going to get worse in the years to come as the population grows older," she said.
Health Minister Ivan Lewis said dementia was "one of the greatest challenges facing our society".
He said funding had been increased and incentives set up to encourage GPs to identify dementia early.
But he added: "We know a lot more needs to be done. We have a duty to strengthen mental health services so they ensure older people and their families are treated at all times with dignity and respect."
So the government acknowledges that "a lot more needs to be done" and they "have a duty to strengthen mental health services".
Yet in reality they're choosing to instead lavish a completely unjustified extra £2.5bn a year on the EU (on top of the annual £3.5bn net we already pay) rather than take greater steps towards fulfilling that self-declared "duty".
Ivan Lewis himself, even after uttering the words above, will no doubt be among the MPs happily rewarding the EU's twelve years of audit failure with this multi-billion pound boost in funding, when he votes on the EU budget deal.
Why should we stand for such blatant hypocrisy from our MPs - and people in great need going without support - while the EU enjoys even more lavish funding?
Monday, 28 May 2007
Staffordshire: Dementia cases to double in next decade
The number of dementia sufferers in Staffordshire is set to soar by more than half over the next 14 years, reports The Sentinel.
According to research commissioned by the Alzheimer's Society, there are currently 9,537 people with dementia in Staffordshire - 6.8% of the population.
But the study, which was carried out by the London School of Economics and King's College London, estimates there will be 14,785 sufferers in the county by 2021, a rise of 55%.
And the number of younger people developing dementia is expected to rise due to an increase in binge-drinking.
Elaine Ivis, West Midlands area manager of the Alzheimer's Society, said the predicted rise was mainly due to the ageing population.
She said: "Dementia is set to increase by a phenomenal amount in Staffordshire.
"The first thing we need to do is accept this is going to happen. There is still a big stigma about mental health and also about being old."
But some under-65s suffer from dementia and the number is set to increase. At the moment there are 230 under-65s in Staffordshire with dementia. By 2021 this figure is estimated to be 243.
Ms Ivis said the Alzheimer's Society believed more people would suffer from Korsakoff's Syndrome, a brain disorder associated with heavy drinking, in the future because of Britain's binge drinking culture.
She said: "We need to start people thinking about how to tackle this challenge. We are recommending that dementia is made a priority nationally and locally."
So why are some of Staffordshire's MPs considering voting a massive 60% funding increase to the audit-failing EU, while local health services clearly need extra investment to cope with this looming problem?
More needs to be spent both on research into the causes of dementia, and on care and treatment facilities. Not on the wasteful and fraud-ridden European Union, which hasn't had the "majority" of its spending approved by auditors for twelve years in a row.
Find out whether your MP is going to vote in favour of the EU budget deal, and consequently restrict the funding available to local public services.
According to research commissioned by the Alzheimer's Society, there are currently 9,537 people with dementia in Staffordshire - 6.8% of the population.
But the study, which was carried out by the London School of Economics and King's College London, estimates there will be 14,785 sufferers in the county by 2021, a rise of 55%.
And the number of younger people developing dementia is expected to rise due to an increase in binge-drinking.
Elaine Ivis, West Midlands area manager of the Alzheimer's Society, said the predicted rise was mainly due to the ageing population.
She said: "Dementia is set to increase by a phenomenal amount in Staffordshire.
"The first thing we need to do is accept this is going to happen. There is still a big stigma about mental health and also about being old."
But some under-65s suffer from dementia and the number is set to increase. At the moment there are 230 under-65s in Staffordshire with dementia. By 2021 this figure is estimated to be 243.
Ms Ivis said the Alzheimer's Society believed more people would suffer from Korsakoff's Syndrome, a brain disorder associated with heavy drinking, in the future because of Britain's binge drinking culture.
She said: "We need to start people thinking about how to tackle this challenge. We are recommending that dementia is made a priority nationally and locally."
So why are some of Staffordshire's MPs considering voting a massive 60% funding increase to the audit-failing EU, while local health services clearly need extra investment to cope with this looming problem?
More needs to be spent both on research into the causes of dementia, and on care and treatment facilities. Not on the wasteful and fraud-ridden European Union, which hasn't had the "majority" of its spending approved by auditors for twelve years in a row.
Find out whether your MP is going to vote in favour of the EU budget deal, and consequently restrict the funding available to local public services.
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