Welsh Government must make dementia a priority

Gemma Roberts, Alzheimer’s Society National Influencing Manager

Dementia devastates lives. There are more than 50,000 people in Wales living with the condition and the impacts on the people affected, our NHS, and our economy are immense. For our NHS to be sustainable, Wales must make dementia the priority it needs to be.

Dementia is the leading cause of death in England and Wales. But the impact is also felt in our economy.

Alzheimer’s Society commissioned research shows that the cost of dementia to the Welsh economy is a whopping £2.3 billion and is set to rise to £4.6 billion by 2040.

In 2018, Welsh Government published its Dementia Action Plan for Wales. This was a significant step forward, placing people with lived experience of dementia at the centre of policy making and committing to ambitious targets to raise diagnosis rates.

Significant setback

Disappointingly, the recently published evaluation shows that without strong leadership and accountability, progress over the last seven years has been limited – a significant setback for people living with dementia in Wales.

Dementia is not the priority it needs to be in Wales, despite its huge economic and social impact. The next Dementia Action Plan for Wales, due for publication later this year, is a big opportunity for Welsh Government to address the growing challenge posed by dementia and transform the lives of people
affected.

Around half of people in Wales with dementia have a diagnosis leaving thousands of people struggling without the care, support and treatment a diagnosis can bring. Early and accurate diagnosis and treatment can help people to better manage their condition and avoid crisis.

Yet, across the UK, just 1.4% of dementia healthcare costs are spent on diagnosis and treatment, while around a third is being spent on expensive unplanned hospital admissions. People with undiagnosed dementia are nearly four times more likely to go to A&E than those without dementia.

Complex care

As dementia progresses, individuals require increasingly more complex care. Combined with the rising prevalence of the condition, this places significant strain on health and social care. Alzheimer’s Society research shows that the number of bed days for people with dementia is expected to increase over time, growing from 410,000 bed days in 2024 to 560,600 bed days in 2040.

In primary care, people with dementia visit the GP between 1.5 and 2.5 times more each year than someone without dementia. The rise in prevalence of dementia means that, by 2040, an additional 336,000 primary care contacts will be required each year.

The next Dementia Action Plan for Wales is due to be published later this year. Welsh Government must commit to setting ambitious and achievable new diagnosis rate targets, bolstered by public awareness campaigns to raise awareness of symptoms, challenge stigma and encourage people to seek a diagnosis.
The 2018 plan promised to improve diagnosis rates by 3% each year – but only managed to improve the rates by 3% over the whole seven-year lifetime of the plan.

Where people are diagnosed early enough, our research showed that where existing symptomatic treatment is effective, delayed care home placement is estimated to save between £10,489 and £52,783 per person. This allows people to manage their symptoms and remain in their own home for longer.

People with dementia is one of the biggest groups drawing on social care.

Training

Dementia affects memory, problem-solving, language and communication so care needs to be tailored
to maintain quality of life for as long as possible. Our research shows investing in person centered and evidence-based dementia training has significant benefits and is cost-effective. It can reduce agitation in people with dementia, cut emergency hospital admissions and GP visits and the inappropriate use of antipsychotic drugs.

Undoubtably, there are lessons to be learnt from the evaluation of the previous action plan, particularly around its leadership. Without proper governance arrangements and accountability at every level, Welsh Government risks the next plan following in its predecessor’s footsteps with limited impact.

With the right policies and leadership, the new plan could be transformational. By focusing on improving diagnosis rates and access to treatments; ensuring mandatory dementia training for all adult social care workers; and ensuring there is proper governance and accountability the next plan could deliver real change for people living with dementia in Wales.

We stand ready and eager to work with the Welsh Government on this vital next phase for dementia in Wales.