A landmark government plan for dementia care is being criticized as ineffective after a key target for diagnosing patients within 18 weeks of referral to a memory clinic was removed from its draft over cost concerns.
Michelle Dyson, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society, stated that the removal of this target from the government's upcoming care blueprint is a significant blow to patients and their families. She warned that without a firm deadline, services could be reduced, leading to extended waiting times for diagnosis. This delay could mean that some patients' conditions worsen to a point where they can no longer benefit from early-stage treatments.
Dyson expressed low confidence in the proposed 10-year plan, which aims to transform care for the estimated one million people in the UK living with dementia. She believes the target was omitted due to worries about the cost, stating that if the plan must be cost-neutral, it will fail to deliver meaningful improvements.
She drew a parallel to the progress made in treating cancer and heart disease, suggesting that similar interventions for dementia would have been stalled if they had to be cost-neutral over the past 30 years.
Diagnosis Target and Performance Management
Dyson highlighted that performance management within the National Health Service relies on targets. The absence of a specific target for dementia means the condition receives less attention in performance data. She noted that while 99 pages of performance data were available for the NHS last year, none mentioned dementia, a situation directly linked to the lack of a diagnosis target.
She also pointed out that dementia services are vulnerable to pressure on hospital resources. Memory services have been cut back or closed during periods of high demand, such as winter pressures, with staff redeployed to accident and emergency departments. While this may be a practical decision for hospital managers facing A&E performance targets, it significantly extends wait times for dementia patients.
Dyson contrasted the proposed 18-week standard with the 28-day target for cancer diagnosis, calling the dementia target "not very ambitious" but still a necessary starting point. The Alzheimer's Society had also advocated for a commitment to reduce dementia deaths, similar to efforts for other major diseases, but this was also rejected.
Dyson concluded by questioning the government's commitment, stating that if ministers could transform cancer care, they could do the same for dementia, depending on whether they choose to prioritize people with dementia or continue to treat them as "second-class citizens."
The Department of Health and Social Care acknowledged the devastating impact of dementia and stated its desire for everyone affected to receive high-quality, personalized support. The Daily Mail and Alzheimer's Society have partnered on a campaign to raise awareness, increase early diagnosis, boost research, and improve care for dementia.