City takes lead role on dementia care
NEW hope is on the horizon for dementia sufferers following a £1.7m cash boost.
The Alzheimer’s Society has committed the cash to Newcastle University, as part of its biggest single investment in dementia care research.
The record £1,680,224 grant, which will be awarded over five years, will enable researchers at the university to create a ‘Centre of Excellence’ in dementia care research.
And the funding will also boost the number of researchers working in dementia care, with the aim of making the UK a world leader in the field.
Newcastle University is one on of three pioneering ‘Centres of Excellence’ to be created nationwide, along with the University of Exeter and University College London.
There are an estimated 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK – 35,000 of them in the North East – and this number is expected to exceed one million by 2021.
The Alzheimer’s Society says the need to provide good care for dementia patients is “urgent”, but many are currently experiencing poor support after their diagnosis, and the number of researchers specialising in dementia care is too low.
Colin Capper, the charity’s head of research development, said: “Dementia is set to the 21st century’s biggest killer and there is currently no cure. People living with dementia have the right to the best possible care.
“We are laying the foundations for building networks of internationally recognised researchers in dementia care in the UK. We are making major investments that will contribute a great deal towards improving care and support for people affected by dementia.
“We are excited at the potential that each of these Centres of Excellence hold for improving care and hope to establish further centres over the coming years.”
Professor Louise Robinson, director of Newcastle University Institute for Ageing and Professor of Primary Care and Ageing, will lead an expert team to understand how to help people receive better support after a diagnosis.
They will examine whether receiving the support through ‘primary care’ routes such as GPs or community services will improve the support people receive.
They believe this approach could reduce the so-called ‘postcode lottery’ where access to support through secondary care services can vary depending on where a person lives.
Prof Robinson said: “We want to address what resources are needed to provide a better quality of care, and how these can be successfully delivered; understanding the costs of this care against the long-term benefits.”