Dementia patients hit by austerity cuts

The dementia charity Alzheimer’s Society has called upon George Osborne to use his first spending review since 2010 to fund greater access to dementia care.

The dementia charity Alzheimer’s Society has called upon George Osborne to use his first spending review since 2010 to fund greater access to dementia care. Since 2010, more than £1.8 billion has been cut from adult social care funding across the country – and concerns are rife in the care industry that budgets could be squeezed even further.

Alzheimer’s Society’s call for a review comes after a recent poll from YouGov revealed that 91% of Britons believe that it is important for the government to invest more in care services for people with dementia, whether at home or in a care home, to minimise the number of people with this condition being admitted to hospital. According to a previous study from the charity entitled “Support. Stay. Save.”, one in 10 people living with dementia are admitted to hospital unnecessarily due to substandard care.

Chief executive of Alzheimer’s Society Jeremy Hughes commented: “People with dementia have become the collateral damage of austerity, with councils across the country forced to cut care because of a huge black hole in funding. This spending review is an opportunity for the government to invest in care so that people with dementia can be supported to live well either at home or in a care home rather than reaching crisis point.”