Strengthening support for people living with dementia in Bucks

Buckinghamshire Council and its health partners are being asked to make a commitment to improve support for people living with dementia, following the completion of a comprehensive review of current services across the county.

Earlier this year, the council's Health & Adult Social Care Select Committee carried out an in-depth rapid review across Buckinghamshire to assess levels of support for people living with dementia and their care givers. Committee members looked closely at current services and support, noting what is working well and identifying where gaps exist. As a result of the review, a list of recommendations has been put forward.

Carol Heap, Chairman of the Review Group explained: "We found many examples of good support for those living with dementia, and their carers. However, we also discovered that many faced long wait times for diagnosis and also struggled to access the support that is available."

The review concluded that there needs to be greater collaboration between providers and an overarching strategy should be developed, pulling together the work of the different partner organisations to ensure a more joined up approach.

As of September 2022, 4,164 people aged 65+ were diagnosed with dementia in Buckinghamshire. The current rate of diagnosis is 57.3%, against a national target of 66.7%. The estimated number of people with dementia in the county is 7,266, meaning an estimated 3,102 people are living with dementia in Buckinghamshire but remain undiagnosed.

The review's recommendations include:

• The development of a multi-agency Buckinghamshire Dementia strategy.
• Better partnership working to develop a consistent approach to memory screening and reducing waiting times.
• A named dementia specialist to be introduced in each Primary Care Network and greater partnership working to improve referrals.
• Working more closely with care homes and helping to develop more dementia specific activities to meet the needs of the local community.
• Increased investment in dementia support services and smarter use of existing resources, including the services provided by the voluntary sector.
• A focus on wider awareness raising of the risks associated with dementia and public health messaging on lifestyle choices to aid better understanding of the illness.

Jane MacBean, Chair of the HASC Select Committee, said: "This is a very detailed piece of work that shows a true picture of dementia services in Buckinghamshire today. We know there is huge pressure on budgets and whilst we need new funding directed towards dementia services, we also need to look at how we can work smarter and make the best use of our existing resources. There are many community groups that deliver fantastic projects that support our residents, but we must explore how we can maximise every opportunity, for example, making use of facilities like our council-run day centres to provide additional support within our communities."

Angela Macpherson, Cabinet Member for Adults and Health praised the efforts of the review group for their work and commented: "Dementia is the biggest emerging health issue of our time and is noted as one of the top causes of early deaths for people in England. Although great progress is being made in terms of new treatments and medicines, there is still much to do. It is only right that we as a council, drive forward the work with partners in the health and voluntary sector to improve services. We must work together to improve diagnoses and better support those living with dementia. We want to ensure people can live better lives at home for longer and have access to all the care and support they need."

Angela continued: "We know this is a huge piece of work and is reliant on a commitment from all agencies. This is something we must prioritise, and we shall be reporting back to the HASC regularly to ensure progress is being delivered on the recommendations."

The full report can be viewed on the council website.