Dementia services - findings from the Healthwatch network
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Cases of dementia are on the rise. Around 700,000 people in England have the disease currently, and this figure is expected to increase to over a million by 2025.
Since the beginning of 2015, more than 1,000 people across the country have spoken to local Healthwatch about their experiences of dementia care - from the help provided by GPs to the support offered through hospitals and social care Local Healthwatch have also visited more than 120 care homes.
They’ve spoken to patients themselves, as well as those providing support, such as care home staff and family carers, to find out what’s working well, and what could be improved.
Three key themes came out of the research:
- The need for better dementia awareness amongst the public and professionals
- Ensuring that people with dementia and their carers have the support they need when they need it
- Places need to be more dementia-friendly.