DH publishes dementia map
pharmafile | December 2, 2013 | News story | Research and Development, Sales and Marketing | Department of Health, Hunt, dementia
People will be able to view the quality of dementia care and support in their local area, thanks to a new interactive online map launched by health secretary Jeremy Hunt.
Around 670,000 people in England live with the degenerative condition – but that figure is set to double in the next 30 years, presenting a massive problem for health services.
Hunt has singled it out as one of the areas in which he will attempt to effect lasting change during his tenure as health secretary.
The Department of Health has also published a new ‘state of the nation’ report on dementia, and the government is hosting the first G8 Dementia Summit next week, on 11 December at Lancaster House in London.
The new map which people use by entering their postcode, is based on data including diagnosis rates, how often anti-psychotic drugs are prescribed to patients and on referral rates for further investigation.
“Dementia is one of the biggest challenges we face as a nation,” Hunt said. “This report and map will help drive up standards of dementia care across the country by showing what excellent care looks like, and challenging the rest to become like the best. Full transparency is the best way to drive up standards and tackle poor performance.”
The government has already promised that the research budget for dementia will be doubled to £66 million by 2015: from April last year up to £54 million has also been made available to hospitals in England that offer risk assessments on dementia to 90% of over-75 year olds admitted as emergencies.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group has warned of barriers to tackling diseases such as Alzheimer’s, finding that fewer than half of sufferers have a formal diagnosis. The MPs and peers highlighted huge variations in access to treatment. In Belfast for example, 70% of people receive a diagnosis, but in parts of Wales it is under 40 per cent.
Hunt acknowledged this but says progress is being made, with government-funded dementia research almost doubling from £28.2 million in 2009-10 to £52.2 million in 2012-13.
The number of people being assessed by memory clinics has also risen four-fold since 2010-11, with just under half of the people diagnosed with dementia over the past 12 months being in the early stages of the condition, he pointed out.
In the summer Hunt announced details of 116 projects at hospitals and care homes across England which were awarded a share of a £50 million fund to help people with dementia.
Launching the new interactive map, he said: “We must come together as a society to get better at fighting dementia. We all have a role to play in helping people manage dementia better and supporting them to lead healthier lives.”
However, a study earlier this year found that the rate of dementia in Britain has decreased over the past two decades, contrary to popular belief that the condition is on the rise.
The report in The Lancet found that those born more recently have a lower risk of prevalent dementia than those born earlier in the twentieth century.
The study, funded by the UK Medical Research Council, found that only 6.5% of the sample people interviewed in Cambridgeshire, Nottingham and Newcastle between 2008 and 2011 showed symptoms of dementia.
A similar study conducted between 1989 and 1994 pointed to results above 8%, the study showed, indicating that the rate of dementia is slowing.
Adam Hill
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