I recently attended the Alzheimer’s Society’s photo exhibition, to show my support for the great work that they do. I was shocked to hear that there are over 850,000 people with dementia in the UK, a number predicted to rise to 2 million by 2051. As of April 2019, there are 7,341 care homes in England that provide dementia care. Of those that have a Care Quality Commission (CQC) rating, 76% are rated Good or Outstanding. This is a great achievement however, more needs to be done to support those in need.

The government are committed to ensuring that everybody, including those who live with dementia, has access to the care and support that they need. The NHS Long Term Plan, published in January 2019, commits the National Health Service to continuing to improve the care provided to people with dementia and their carers. The Government’s Dementia 2020 Challenge aims to make England the best country in the world for dementia care, support, awareness and research. In 2019 the Department of Health and Social Care have given local authorities access to up to £3.9 billion more funding for adult social care. The government will set out plans to reform the social care system to ensure it is sustainable for the future.

I will continue to support improvements in care for sufferers.