Andy Burnham urged to set dementia waiting-time target
An 18‑week referral‑to‑treatment target has been backed by England's former national cancer director.
Andy Burnham, the British Prime Minister, is under pressure to establish a national waiting-time target for dementia care in England. This proposal has been endorsed by Professor Sir Mike Richards, the former national cancer director, and Baroness Louise Casey, who is leading a review on adult social care. Both experts argue that dementia care is "stuck in the 20th century" and require a "cancer-style revolution" to improve.
Alzheimer's Society and the King's Trust published a report advocating for an 18-week referral-to-treatment target for dementia patients, similar to the cancer targets introduced in 2000. Social Care Minister Alison McGovern echoed these sentiments, stating that dementia has been neglected and calling for a more integrated health and social care system.
Currently, England lacks a waiting-time target for dementia care, unlike the NHS's existing targets for cancer diagnosis and treatment. Professor Richards believes that implementing such a target would necessitate political will and additional funding. Baroness Casey concurred, suggesting that the government should set national standards for dementia diagnosis, including the proposed 18-week target.
About one million people in the UK currently live with dementia, and this number is projected to rise to 1.4 million by 2040. Burnham, who recently returned from compassionate leave following his father's death from Alzheimer's, plans to consider the report's recommendations before deciding on reforms to adult social care and its funding.
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