The National Audit Office has published an interim report detailing the progress that the English Government has made in developing dementia care since announcing in 2007 that this was to be a ‘national priority’. The National Dementia Strategy was subsequently published in February 2009 and lays out the Government’s plans to improve standards of care and availability of services over the next five years. However, the NAO report reveals that some promised changes have not been made and that overall progress has been slow so far. Key findings include:
- Local leadership on dementia issues has not been put in place in many areas
- Dementia has not been made a priority in the NHS Operating Framework, which establishes the core areas that the NHS will focus on in the next five years
- Future costs and budgets are not yet clear, but it is probable that the estimated 10 year cost of £1.9 billion is not enough as proposed efficiency savings may not be feasible
- Basic training on dementia matters for healthcare staff is still not available
- The NHS and local authorities are not yet working together to provide and improve dementia services.
Despite these disappointing findings, the report does highlight several cases where local areas are improving access to higher quality dementia services and, if implemented nationwide, these new practices would make a big difference. Commenting on the report, the NAO says that the Government’s ‘action…has not so far matched the rhetoric’, and adds: ‘At the moment this strategy lacks the mechanisms needed to bring about large scale improvements.’ Health minister Phil Hope defended the progress made in dementia services but concedes that ‘There is still much more to be done.’
