Last month, local Member of Parliament, Sir Alec Shelbrooke, met with representatives of Dementia UK - including CEO Dr Hilda Hayo - at their 'Fix the Funding' campaign event.
Sir Alec has supported Dementia UK's campaign in calling for an urgent review of the NHS Continuing Healthcare process to improve the recognition of the needs of dementia sufferers.
Dementia UK argue that a reform of the Continuing Healthcare process would enable more people with dementia to receive the right care for their needs and help to lessen the burden to their families, who are already living with the challenge of seeing a close family member suffering with the disease.
Dementia has been a priority for Sir Alec in Parliament since seeing first-hand the devastating impact of the condition had on his grandmother. Since then, Sir Alec has worked with local and national care providers to publish a comprehensive Dementia Directory of the services available to sufferers across our area. Following the success of this project, Sir Alec's ambition is to expand this directory to encompass all of the services available to residents of Wetherby and Easingwold.
Commenting, Sir Alec said, "One in three of us will suffer from dementia at some point in our lives, and the complexity of the NHS's Continuing Healthcare process means that many sufferers are missing out on vital support. It cannot be right that 86% of respondents surveyed by Dementia UK weren't aware that this process even existed, and I am therefore joining Dementia UK in calling on the NHS to improve transparency and accessibility for those seeking support following a dementia diagnosis."
