The UK DRI has joined forces with other leading organisations across the sector to launch the Dementia Manifesto, urging the next UK government to take action on dementia. In the manifesto, the UK DRI together with Dementia UK, Alzheimer’s Research UK, Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer Scotland, have set out five key areas for change.
The manifesto draws on expertise from the range of organisations involved to demand a sustained, strategic approach to research funding, improved diagnosis targets and pathways, treatments and specialist care for people living with the condition:
- Prevention – including recommendations for a cross-governmental ‘Brain Health’ National Prevention Strategy to address the health and lifestyle factors that affect our risk of developing dementia;
- Diagnosis – setting out the need for ambitious national diagnostic targets, a pilot of brain health clinics to deliver equitable high-quality services and the importance of investing to integrate promising research into accurate and deliverable diagnostic tools;
- Support – calling for improved dementia support in primary care settings and extending the national dementia diagnosis targets to include young onset dementia, where symptoms develop under the age of 65;
- Care – including a sustainable funding model for quality personalised care and an immediate review of the NHS continued healthcare funding application process to recognise the needs of people living with dementia;
- Research – setting out the need to increase real-term spending on dementia research to accelerate new treatments, publish a long-term strategic approach to dementia research and promote and embed dementia research across the UK.
Prof Siddharthan Chandran, UK DRI Director said:
“Now is a crucial time for a new government to take action on dementia. We are at a tipping point in the field of neurodegeneration research, as two new drugs have demonstrated for the first time that Alzheimer’s can be slowed. However, there is an urgent need for accurate and scalable diagnostic tools to ensure these treatments can be delivered to those who need them most. Meanwhile, we must continue to leverage data and emerging scientific techniques to enable further research breakthroughs and more effective treatment options.
Urgently addressing and improving access to dementia diagnosis and care will have vast benefits for both the health and wealth of our nation. With the right support, the UK can be a world leader in neurodegeneration research to delay and prevent dementia, and transform care for everyone affected.”
The Dementia Coalition is calling for dementia to be a political priority in the next parliament. With the right support, the UK can lead the way in transforming diagnosis, care and support for everyone affected by dementia now, as well as research to prevent, reduce and delay dementia for future generations.
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Article published: 19 June 2024
Banner image: Better Ageing/Peter Kindersley
