NHS bodies give Boris Johnson 'to-do' list - Alzheimer's Society comments
Alzheimer's Society comments on the "to-do" list written by health professionals asking the new Prime Minister to address major areas of "unfinished business" that are damaging patient care.
The NHS Confederation, which represents 500 organisations in the NHS, voluntary and independent sectors, has presented the new Prime Minister with a "to-do" list, asking him to address major areas of "unfinished business" that are damaging patient care.
In its letter, which first addresses social care, it says: "For more than 20 years, successive governments have failed to address this challenge, but there is now a chance for decisive action. We would be keen to support both an immediate recognition of the current crisis and a bold move to establish a cross-party solution to deal with the fundamental reform that is so badly needed.
"We very much hope you will regard this as a potential legacy issue - it is certainly one your predecessors have conspicuously failed to grasp."
Jeremy Hughes, CEO of Alzheimer’s Society, said: “We’ve heard months of talk about fixing the social care system, but are still no closer to seeing the actions behind these words. The Prime Minister has a chance to end decades of dithering and make a difference for the 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK today.
“The social care crisis isn’t going to go away unless we see a complete overhaul, and the reform so desperately needed within social care will also enable the NHS to better meet people’s needs. A cross-party solution is needed to bring about long-term reform, but it’s crucial that the Prime Minster takes action to help people now. We need to see immediate investment in a dedicated NHS Dementia Fund, which will mean that people with dementia get the support they need from the moment they are diagnosed.”
