Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Lord Addington (Liberal Democrat). It was answered on Monday, 18 January 2010.

Health: Dementia

Question: My Lords, will the Minister give us some idea about how this fits into other NHS priorities, as something like one-quarter of people in long-term stay in hospital tend to have dementia, or something related to it? How does this fit into the priority plans, and how do those plans all tie in together? If one scheme has pressure on it this week, another one will have it next week. How do the two fit together?

Answer: I think that the noble Lord is asking me how we deal with people with dementia, both in care and in hospital. The first points of our strategy are about keeping people out of hospital—that is the first thing—with early diagnosis, support for families and keeping people in their homes. Another major part of the strategy is to ensure that those who deliver services and care for people with dementia, both in social care and in hospitals, have the training that they need to ensure that they can recognise dementia and treat it in an appropriate way.

Secondary information