Dementia patients are being neglected by the National Health Service and treated as "second-class citizens," according to Michelle Dyson, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society. Dyson stated that patients are frequently diagnosed, discharged, and sent home with minimal support, a situation she described as "unthinkable for cancer."
Dyson, who previously served as a senior official in the Department of Health and Social Care, argued that dementia is not treated with the same urgency as other major diseases like cancer or heart disease, despite its devastating impact on families and significant strain on hospitals and care homes. She expressed concern that the NHS is ill-prepared for the upcoming availability of new Alzheimer's drugs, a situation she likened to witnessing a "car crash in slow motion."
"A leaflet is not care or treatment," Dyson said. "It doesn't help a frightened husband, wife or daughter when the person they love starts to disappear in front of them." She noted that dementia is "not part of the conversation at all" in government, even though one million people in the UK are living with the condition.
Scientific evidence indicates that dementia has characteristics of a treatable disease, with up to 45 percent of cases potentially preventable through lifestyle changes. Key modifiable risk factors include smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity, high blood pressure, and hearing loss. Dyson criticized the government for not implementing public health campaigns to educate millions on risk reduction. She highlighted that only 5 percent of British patients have access to biomarker testing, a figure significantly lower than in Italy (30 percent) and Spain (20 percent).
"People with dementia are not asking for special treatment," Dyson stated. "They are asking to be taken as seriously – and with the same urgency and compassion – that we rightly expect for cancer and heart disease." When asked directly if she believed dementia patients were treated as second-class citizens, she responded, "Absolutely."
The Daily Mail and the Alzheimer's Society have launched a joint campaign, "Defeating Dementia," to raise awareness, promote early diagnosis, increase research, and improve care. The campaign aims to address issues such as the lack of awareness campaigns, inconsistent treatment pathways, and the significant financial burden of care falling on families, contrasting it with NHS-funded cancer care.
Recent reports indicate that waiting times for dementia diagnoses are increasing, with patients waiting an average of 137 days from referral to diagnosis. This is an increase from two years prior, and some clinics have wait times exceeding a year. Dyson called for a "national mission" for dementia, similar to that for cancer, emphasizing the need for national targets, urgency, and a refusal to accept late diagnosis and poor care.
"If cancer patients were diagnosed late, discharged with a leaflet and told to come back when things became unbearable, there would be outrage. People with dementia deserve that same outrage," she said.
Dyson urged the next Prime Minister and Health Secretary to make dementia a national priority, asserting that if the government can transform cancer care, it can do the same for dementia care. The Department of Health acknowledged the devastating impact of dementia and stated its commitment to ensuring those affected receive high-quality, personalized support.