DementiaRoadmap Wales

The All Party Parliamentary Group for Dementia Report, published in July 2014, reviewed progress 5 years on from the first ever National Dementia Strategy. Evidence gathering events were undertaken in January and February with experts; people with dementia and their carers and with individuals and organisations from within health and social care.

Download Building on the National Dementia Strategy: Change, progress and priorities

The evidence gathering review focused on 3 areas:

• Diagnosis and post-diagnosis support – in 2010 the APPG recommended that NDSE spending should be focused on ‘areas of urgent need’. It is clear that diagnosis, and the support people receive afterwards, is a clear priority over the past five years.
• Commissioning of dementia services – the previous APPG inquiry recommended that Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) should base commission decisions using evidence of local need. With the changes to the health and socail care  systems since then the APPG revisited this in 2014.
• The dementia workforce – four years ago, the APPG stated that people with dementia should be supported by ‘an informed and effective workforce’. This year, the Group has assessed progress towards this goal.

The common themes emerging in the review discussions:

• Strong Leadership
• Integrated health and social care services
• Engaging and involving people with dementia

In overall conclusion the APPG on dementia states:

“It is clear to us that the government must commit to a new long term strategy for dementia. Such a strategy should be bold and ambitious to be a worthy successor to the National Dementia Strategy and the Prime Minister’s challenge on dementia”