Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) confirms that dementia and Alzheimer’s disease continues to be the top leading cause of death in England and Wales in 2023. Of all deaths registered 11.6% had an underlying cause of dementia and Alzheimer’s.
According to the Alzheimer’s Society, one in three people born in the UK today will be diagnosed with dementia in their lifetime. This highlights the scale of the problem, which has been described as the UK’s biggest health and social care crisis.
With the number of people affected by dementia growing year by year, charities such as Dementia UK have been campaigning for the Government to deliver change. They’ve proposed practical steps that should be taken that can make a real difference. These include:
- relieving the burden of care costs that push families to breaking point by making sure the NHS continuing healthcare funding process recognises the unique needs of dementia
- ensuring the 70,800 people living with young onset dementia in the UK (where symptoms develop under the age of 65) can routinely access age-appropriate support and are included in diagnosis targets
- strengthening overstretched primary care to ensure that no one faces a dementia diagnosis alone and everyone receives the follow-up they are entitled to
- transforming hospital experiences for people living with dementia whilst saving the NHS money.
We support Dementia UK’s ‘Fix the funding’ campaign, which calls for the Government to urgently review the NHS continuing healthcare funding process.
Tim Davies, CEO at Compass CHC comments, “NHS continuing healthcare is designed to support those with long term health needs, such as dementia or Alzheimer’s get the essential care they require. The families we work with find the continuing healthcare funding process daunting, emotionally draining and surrounded by misinformation. We’re passionate about helping families secure funding for the specialist care they’re both entitled to and desperately need.”
