Alzheimer Scotland responds to Phil Hope's GP training announcement for England and Wales

Alzheimer Scotland welcomes today’s announcement from the Department of Health that NHS doctors in England and Wales are to be trained to spot early symptoms of dementia, and the commitment to ensure that there is a memory clinic in every town.

Jan Killeen, Director of Policy at Alzheimer Scotland, said, “In principle, this is a real step forward for people affected by dementia in England and Wales. However, this must be backed up by a strong financial commitment from the National Dementia Strategy in January.”

Post-diagnostic support

“In Scotland, we have moved more rapidly - in some areas. It is just over a year since the Scottish Government announced its diagnosis target for dementia: a 33% increase in diagnosis and improved management of the condition by each NHS health board (to be achieved by March 2011). Increasing the number of people diagnosed early must go hand in hand with an equitable increase in access to support. The Scottish Government has committed £600,000 towards three pilot projects on post-diagnostic support (jointly managed by Alzheimer Scotland and the Dementia Services Development Centre), to build on experience from existing support schemes. They have also helped to establish the Scottish Dementia Research Network and are working (again with Alzheimer Scotland) on the Beyond Barriers project, which works to improve the quality of palliative care for people in the end-of-life stage of dementia.”

“There are around 4,000 GPs in Scotland and there are 62,000 people with dementia. Approximately 6,500 people are diagnosed with dementia every year: whilst the average GP will be in contact with many people diagnosed with dementia, they will infrequently see new people and may lack the information and training to make an accurate diagnosis. We want to make sure that people visiting their GP are armed with information about dementia and that GPs have a clearer understanding of the early stages of this illness.”

Dementia training for Scottish GPs

Henry Simmons, Chief Executive of Alzheimer Scotland, said, “We believe that it is vital that dementia training for GPs and other professionals becomes a priority in Scotland. In many cases, both parties want to collude in a view that memory problems are just part of growing old; we need to break this view down, as it is often influenced by fear, stigma and a lack of understanding. This can result in a diagnosis that comes too late: the earlier the diagnosis, the more options there are for treatment and for the person being in control of their future support. With proper training for all professionals (not just those in the NHS) who work with people who have dementia, and by facilitating full support and planning in the early stages of the illness, the devastating impact of diagnosis can be lessened.”

“In addition to being able to access appropriate drugs, comprehensive post-diagnostic support (covering the not only the medical but also the financial, legal, social and emotional implications of dementia) can have a hugely positive impact on quality of life.”

“Alzheimer Scotland believes that no-one should experience dementia alone: be it the person with dementia, their carer(s) or other people close to them. Our freephone Dementia Helpline (0800 808 3000) runs 24 hours a day, all year round, providing information and emotional support for those who need it.”