---

Dementia Services

Some 700,000 people have been diagnosed with dementia, although there may be many more undiagnosed. That figure will rise to 1.4 million in the next 30 years, and includes one in 14 people over the age of 65, rising to one in six over the age of 80, and predicted to rise further. One way or another, dementia touches the lives of half the population, with close friends or family suffering the effects. We have heard a great deal this afternoon about the importance of early diagnosis, early treatment and intervention, and proper and effective support for the person with dementia and for those caring for people with dementia. Rehabilitation has not been mentioned much in the debate, but it is extremely important for those with dementia to be able to carry on and be as active as they can. All these aspects are vital, but what is needed is more than a strategy, although that would be welcome. Effective implementation is needed, which I do not believe the Government truly understand. I was a bit disappointed that the Secretary of State took the debate at such an early stage into party politics—[Interruption.] No, it was he who mentioned it first. He confused priorities with targets, but we do not need targets; we need outcomes. We need implementation that will make a real difference to people's lives—implementation that improves the outcomes for people suffering from dementia. I was also surprised and very disappointed, actually, to hear the truly scurrilous remarks and unfounded allegations about an influence on our policy making. There is no such influence, and no conflict or possibility of conflict; everything that we do is open and fully disclosed. The hon. Member for Bassetlaw (John Mann) is no longer in his seat, but before he throws stones across the House, he should more appropriately ask his own Government about the money that independent sector treatment centres received for not doing operations. I pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Rugby and Kenilworth (Jeremy Wright), who has made not only a valuable contribution today but a significant impact in raising awareness of dementia through the all-party group on dementia and his interventions in many other debates. The hon. Member for Broxtowe (Dr. Palmer) shared his very personal experiences, and his concluding remarks about a continuous spectrum of care and treatment were apt and particularly pertinent. My hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr. Swire) mentioned, in particular, the needs of carers and the hidden carers, including our child carers, who are often forgotten in the debate. My hon. Friend the Member for North-West Cambridgeshire (Mr. Vara), whose contribution was sadly cut so short, rightly spoke of the need to treat people with dignity and respect, and I pay tribute also to the hon. Member for Bridgend (Mrs. Moon), who made a number of insightful points. My hon. Friend the Member for Bosworth (David Tredinnick) raised a number of issues that are important to many of his constituents, not least his concerns about the funding shortfall for his local authority. The National Audit Office report said that £8.2 billion has been spent inefficiently on dementia care every year. It found that although some steps had been taken and some improvements made, much more needed to be done to improve care and save literally millions of pounds. It found also that more than half of GPs surveyed had not had adequate training, and that one third remain unconfident about diagnosing dementia. Only one in five said that a senior clinician had taken the lead for improving dementia services in their hospital; and only 15 per cent. of psychiatrists said that their primary care trust had invested extra funds in the service. Nurses, the report continued, received no information on the strategy; joined-up health and social care working is patchy; people who are admitted to hospital increasingly have longer stays and end up in residential care prematurely; only two strategic health authorities are actively working with the care home sector; there has been no improvement in GP knowledge and awareness in the past five years; dementia is not included in the core requirements for nursing degrees; it is not a priority in the 2010-11 operating framework; and it is not part of a national set of priorities against which the performance of organisations has been measured. The fact that literally billions of pounds is spent inefficiently is truly appalling, and never has there been a greater need to ensure that all money is spent effectively and efficiently, and that above all else it is directed to and centred on the people who need the care. In the meantime, as my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds, North-West (Greg Mulholland) pointed out—