§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will introduce plans to speed up the diagnosis of dementia sufferers needing personal care. [9033]
§ Jacqui Smith[holding answer 22 October 2001]: The National Service Framework (NSF) for Older People was published on 27 March this year. It sets, for the first time, new national standards of care for all older people, across all care settings. It focuses on those conditions that mainly affect older people, including dementia.
Standard 7 of the NSF relates to mental health and will ensure that those older people who have mental health problems have access to integrated mental health services, provided by the National Health Service and councils, to ensure effective diagnosis, treatment and support, for them and for their carers.
In particular it emphasises how an early and accurate diagnosis of dementia enables older people and those caring for them to understand what is happening to them and to access appropriate help, including treatment and personal care. This will require effective integrated specialist mental health services. The NHS Plan provides for an additional 85 old age psychiatrists to ensure a prompt and responsive diagnostic service across the country.
In addition, we are streamlining the assessment process to ensure better and more consistent assessments. The single assessment process for older people will be implemented by local health bodies and councils from April 2002.
The Department intends to issue detailed guidance on the single assessment process in November. It will ask professionals to work together to ensure assessments are centred on the views and circumstances of older people, and that they are accurate, timely, and proportionate to needs. It will ask professionals to share assessment information, subject to proper observance of confidentiality, rather than duplicate each other's assessments as often happens now.
The single assessment should therefore ensure that following a diagnosis of dementia individuals receive the prompt provision of care to meet their needs.
§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what specialist dementia care services in Coventry have been developed recently. [9032]
§ Jacqui Smith[holding answer 22 October 2001]: Coventry Healthcare national health service trust in conjunction with Coventry health authority and local primary care groups have agreed to make £180,000 available for instigation of a community-based service specifically for early onset dementia. The team will 158W consist of medical, psychological and nursing staff and will offer advice and support to sufferers, their carers, and agencies and professionals in Coventry.
The health authority has also confirmed its agreement to implement the National Institute for Clinical Excellence recommendations regarding anti-dementia drugs from 1 April 2001. An additional drug budget of £250,000 has been made available for 2001–02 with access to drugs controlled by the consultant psychiatric team. Agreements are also in place with regard to future funding up to 2005–06. Additionally, in August 2001 a further £180,000 was agreed to fund a health team to support and monitor treatments of patients using anti-dementia drugs.
The trust has initiated discussions with the Alzheimer's Disease Society, health and social services colleagues in Coventry and Warwickshire to further explore the potential for developing a hospital and community-residential element to the early onset dementia service.
§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent measures have been introduced to support the elderly suffering with dementia. [9030]
§ Jacqui Smith[holding answer 22 October 2001]: It is important that older people with dementia have access to a full range of services that will meet their needs in whatever setting is most appropriate.
The National Service Framework (NSF) for Older People was published on 27 March this year. It sets, for the first time, new national standards of care for all older people, across all care settings. The NSF looks at conditions that mainly affect older people, including dementia.
Standard 7 of the NSF relates to mental health and will ensure that those older people who have mental health problems have access to integrated mental health services, provided by the National Health Service and councils, to ensure effective diagnosis, treatment and support, for them and for their carers.
The Care Standards Act 2000 will have a big impact on raising the quality of care for people with dementia in residential and nursing homes. From April 2002 all care homes will have to have a statement of purpose and be able to demonstrate that they can meet it. Homes catering for people with dementia will have to show that they have suitably trained staff, know, understand and apply the relevant specialist and clinical guidance, provide stimulation and leisure activities that are suited to the needs of people with dementia.
The National Institute for Clinical Excellence appraisal of anti-dementia drugs published in January 2001 will ensure that effective treatments for Alzheimer's disease are available on an equitable basis across the country.