Dementia Strategy will require better training

Abstract

Dementia is widely acknowledged to be one of the most signifi cant health issues facing the UK and the NHS. As the population ages, the numbers of people diagnosed with dementia are growing, and are expected to double to 1.4 million over the next 30 years (Department of Health (DH), 2008). Dementia is currently estimated to cost the UK £17 billion a year, and the cost of caring for people with dementia is expected to treble in the next 30 years to over £50 billion a year. The health minister, Ivan Lewis MP, launched a Department of Health consultation ‘Transforming the Quality of Dementia Care’ (DH, 2008) recently. This consultation will inform a National Dementia Strategy for England, and one of the key aims is to ensure accurate and early diagnosis. The consultation follows the launch of the Alzheimer's Society (2008) campaign ’Worried about your memory?’ which aims to prompt people concerned about memory loss, or that of a relative, to seek medical advice.