Largest public petition of its kind calls on Prime Minister to end the crisis in care – Alzheimer’s Society comment

More than 150,000 members of the public and more than 50 health leaders are calling on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to take action now to address the escalating crisis in care.

In what is believed to be the largest petition of its kind, the Prime Minister is urged to end the swingeing cuts in social care that have left around 1.4 million older people in England unable to access the care and support they need.
 
Jeremy Hughes, CEO of Alzheimer’s Society, said:

'The Prime Minister has a chance to end decades of underfunding and make a difference for the 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK today. There have been years of talk about fixing the social care system, and people with dementia and their families demand urgent action.'

'We completely welcome the Health for Care letter - with their pledged support and calls for cross party consensus, immediate funding increases in the spending review and genuine long term reforms. The social care crisis will continue to worsen unless we see the complete reform that is so needed.

'If the NHS can demonstrate they don’t have sufficient funds, the government needs to provide additional money. While cross party long-term plans get underway we need to see immediate investment in a dedicated NHS Dementia Fund, which will mean people with dementia get the support they need from the moment they are diagnosed.'