Dementia care in England is short-sighted

12.00.00am GMT Thu 23rd Jan 2003

Commenting on the report by the London School of Economics that shows a massive rise in the number of people who will be suffering from dementia in the next three decades, Paul Burstow MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesman on Older People said:-

"This report demonstrates the need for Ministers to take an urgent look and a longer term view of the needs of dementia sufferers and their carers. There is a chronic shortage of specialist dementia care provision in this country. The consequences for families who carry on shouldering a burden of care out of love is more than society should ask of them.

"For the NHS, the lack of community based dementia care is one of the major causes of delayed discharge from hospital. It is time the Government gave up on gimmicks like fines for bed blocking and made sure the training and investment is in place to deliver good quality of care in the right place and at the right time.

Ends