In 2015, the Challenge on Dementia 2020 was launched and the Government remains committed to delivering this. This sets out the vision for dementia care, support, awareness, and research to be transformed by 2020.
In March 2016, we published an Implementation Plan to support the 2020 Challenge which has been co-produced with key partners across the health and care sectors. Alongside this, a joint declaration has been published setting out an ambition to improve the quality of post-diagnostic care.
Progress in the care, support and treatment of people with dementia has been made, with more people receiving a diagnosis of dementia than ever before. For example, over 660,000 NHS staff have received dementia training with further training opportunities rolled out to all NHS staff by the end of 2018. Over 100,000 social care workers have received some form of dementia awareness training.
It is also important to increase public awareness of dementia and I am encouraged that there are over 1.7 million Dementia Friends and 175 Dementia Friendly Communities in England.
Research is crucial to understanding and tackling dementia and the Government has doubled research spending on dementia. This will be maintained to total over £300 million by 2020, with the UK’s first ever Dementia Research Institute receiving £150 million.
A major part of the problem in the NHS at present is due to problems in social care, with patients unable to be discharged, many of whom suffer from dementia, which makes their needs all the more complex. It is important to ensure that as people get older, they are able to receive the dignified care they deserve. As you say, we will be consulting this year about the future of long term care, and I would expect groups such as the Alzheimer’s Society to participate in that to bring their expertise about this cruel disease to the debate.
In the meantime, the Government recognises the current pressures facing local areas. That is why we are giving local authorities additional funding and flexibility so that they will have access to an additional £3.5 billion by 2020, providing a real terms increase in funding by the end of this Parliament. In December, we announced greater flexibility over the use of the council tax social care precept, so that local authorities can choose to raise extra money, although you might be surprised at how many constituents have contacted me to object to paying what is expected to be about £50 a year more in Derbyshire Dales.
The Government is integrating and improving health and social care to protect people at every stage of their lives, with an additional £10 billion of NHS investment in real terms by 2020/21 compared to 2014/15.