The Royal College of Psychiatrists is one of
45 organisations from the charity, public and private sectors
coming together to form the largest ever united front against
dementia.
The Dementia Action Alliance has been set up
to bring about radical changes in the way society responds to
dementia and to transform quality of life for people living with
the condition.
In the first step in a major campaign for
change, the Alliance will today launch a
National Dementia Declaration. This far-reaching charter spells
out exactly what each Alliance member plans to do to improve the
quality of life for people with dementia in England. Commitments
range from adapting practice to better reflect the needs of people
with dementia, increasing dementia-specific training and
campaigning for a more prominent place for dementia on the policy
and research agendas. With a combined membership of millions, the
promises of these organisations have the potential to reach far and
wide.
Dr Peter Connelly, chair of the RCPsych's
Faculty of the Psychiatry of Old Age, said: "Strength lies in
numbers, which is why the College is delighted to be part of this
Alliance. This declaration is the first step in what will be a long
path towards improving care for people with dementia, and we
encourage everyone to lend their support."
Ruth Sutherland, Interim Chief Executive of
Alzheimer’s Society, said: "The Dementia Action Alliance provides
an unprecedented opportunity to bring about real change for people
with dementia. Putting dementia on the map in such a way will not
only transform lives but also has the potential to save millions of
pounds. There are 750,000 people living with dementia in the UK and
this costs the country £20bn a year. It is without doubt the health
and social crisis of this generation so this joint approach cannot
come soon enough. The formation of the Alliance and the signing of
the Declaration mark the beginning of a journey, not the end."
Paul Burstow, Care Services Minister, said:
"Dementia is more than a health issue, it’s one of the defining
social challenges of our time. We have to prepare ourselves now for
the impact this will have on our society as our population ages.
This Dementia Declaration shows tremendous commitment from across
health and care services and the voluntary sector, to transform
services and tackle stigma to make a difference for people with
dementia and their families. Willingness to join forces to
act should spur more organisations to join this movement for
change."
Jo Webber, deputy director of policy at the
NHS Confederation, said: "The challenge that health and social
organisations face over the coming years is how best to improve the
ways we provide services for people with dementia and their carers,
while also finding the large efficiency savings required across
public services. There are many excellent examples of NHS and local
authorities making great strides to improve local services and
support for people with dementia but ongoing co-ordinated work
across health and social care must continue to ensure early
intervention and the necessary support improves.’
The National Dementia Declaration will be
launched today at the Department of Health conference, Improving
Dementia Care in London. The Declaration outlines seven outcomes
people with dementia and their carers say they would like to see in
their lives. This includes having personal choice, having support
to help them live their life and living in an enabling and
supportive environment.
As part of their pledges, organisations have
also committed to ensuring their work is informed by the views of
people with dementia and their carers, that they will report
publically on their progress and will work in partnership with
other organisations to share knowledge about best practice.
For further information, please
contact:
Liz Leicester
or Deborah Hart in the Communications
Department.
Telephone: 020 7235 2351 Extensions. 6298 or 6127
Note to editors:
• The member organisations of the Dementia Action Alliance are Age UK, All Party Parliamentary Group on Dementia, Alzheimer’s Research Trust, Alzheimer’s Society, Anchor, Association for Dementia Studies – University of Worcester, Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, Barchester Healthcare, Bradford Dementia Group, British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, British Association of OTs and College of OTs, British Geriatrics Society, BUPA, Care Quality Commission, Care UK, Chartered Society for Physiotherapy, Counsel and Care, Craegmoor, Dementia UK , Department of Health, English Community Care Association, Four Seasons, Jewish Care, Local Government Group, Mental Health Foundation, MHA, National Council for Palliative Care, NHS Alliance, NHS Confederation, NICE, Parkinson’s UK, Royal College of GPs, Royal College of Physicians, Royal College of Nursing, Royal College of Psychiatrists, Skills for Care, Skills for Health, Social Care Institute for Excellence, Southern Cross, Stroke Association, The Dementia Services Development Centre, The Housing and Dementia Research Consortium (HDRC), Thomas Pocklington Trust, UK Age Research Forum, WRVS