Dementia UK supports Frontline First

Nursing is the cornerstone of good dementia care for patients and family carers. Across all parts of the healthcare system, nurses provide clinical interventions, education, practice support and leadership, with the aim of improving outcomes for individuals, families and communities, and promoting health and well-being.

The Frontline First campaign is highlighting the threat to these important services, which are vital now, and will become ever more important in the years to come; 820,000 people are thought to have dementia in the UK (around two-thirds are undiagnosed) and this figure is expected to rise to over one million by the year 2025.

The National Dementia Strategy, published by the Department of Health in February 2009, proposed 17 key objectives for improving dementia care in England over five years.  When the coalition government announced its revised implementation plan for the strategy in September, Paul Burstow, Care Services Minister, said that dementia was a government priority: ‘Dementia is one of the most important issues that we face as our population ages. We spend £8.2 billion a year caring for those affected. In this tough economic climate, we must be realistic. It's not about extra resources but how we can think smarter using the resources we already have.’

It is very clear, however, that many frontline services are threatened.

Dementia UK has witnessed disinvestments in health and social care in many areas; of particular concern in a number of NHS Trusts is the attrition of Admiral Nurse post, our highly skilled clinical specialists and leaders of dementia care practice.

Dementia UK commends the RCN for this necessary campaign and is pleased to lend its support.

www.dementiauk.org