NHS FAILS OVER HALF DEMENTIA PATIENTS

Scathing report reveals shocking levels of inadequate care for elderly sufferers

DEMENTIA patients are being failed by the NHS across most of the country, an official report reveals today.

Ofsted-style ratings show that 57 per cent of health boards give inadequate care.

In some areas elderly patients may never receive a diagnosis.

Those who do get one can go for more than a year without a check- up. Experts said the new ratings showed patients were often ‘left in the dark’ about why they had memory problems.

Each of England’s 209 clinical commissioning groups was rated either ‘top performing’, ‘performing well’, ‘needs improvement’ or ‘greatest need for improvement’.

For dementia, 57 per cent of areas were in the bottom two categories. Services for other health conditions were rated even worse.

Seventy- one per cent of health boards did not provide an adequate diabetes service and 92 per cent failed patients with developmental issues such as autism.

Published on the ‘My NHS’ website in a transparency drive, the ratings are to be extended to cancer, maternity and mental health services soon. Their release comes at a time when the Health Service

is under unprecedented pressure, with rising demand, an ageing population, a financial crisis and the junior doctor strikes.

The dementia assessments are based on the number of patients receiving a formal diagnosis, and whether sufferers receive annual reviews.

The postcode lottery reveals that in some areas – such as the vale of york, South Norfolk and Herefordshire – as few as 54 per cent of dementia patients receive a formal diagnosis.

In the best – including Central Manchester, Corby and Birmingham – virtually all patients are diagnosed.

NHS guidelines say that every patient with dementia should have a face-to-face meeting at least once a year to have their care plan reviewed.

The website shows that fewer than 50 per cent of dementia patients in Somerset are granted this.

yet in North East Lincolnshire, 86 per cent of patients are seen within the time frame.

Jeremy Hughes of the alzheimer’s Society said: ‘Over the last few years our health system has made strides to improve dementia diagnosis rates, but with 45 per cent of clinical commissioning groups still lagging behind the national ambition, there is a significant way to go.

‘People with dementia in york should be getting the same support as those in Bradford – but with diagnosis rates varying by as much as 46.1 per cent across the country, too many people remain in the dark, unable to access the vital information, treatments and non-medical support a diagnosis can bring.

‘Given the progressive nature of dementia, which means a person’s needs become more severe over time, the focus on care plan reviews is essential.

‘However, a care plan review must be matched with support on the ground and measures should develop to assess how meaningful these plans are.’

Professor alistair Burns, NHS England’s national clinical director for dementia, added: ‘awareness of dementia is at its highest and we believe that timely diagnosis of dementia allows people to access the emotional, practical and financial support that brings.’

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt launched the ratings service at the NHS Innovation Expo in Manchester yesterday, claiming it would boost patient power.

‘This will help put patients in control of their healthcare destiny,’ he said. ‘It means people can see the quality of care at their local hospitals, the local GP surgeries, what is happening in public health, in a way that really gives people knowledge. We have now given Ofsted-style ratings – this is a big step forward.’

Seventy-one per cent of clinical commissioning groups were rated as inadequate for their diabetes care, based on the number of sufferers who get the recommended checks each year and the proportion of patients who attend an education course about their disease.

and for care for people with learning disabilities or autism – rated on the proportion of patients receiving annual check-ups and their ability to keep patients out of hospital – not one health board was given the highest rating and 193 out of 209 were classed in the two bottom ratings.

Chris askew of diabetes UK said: ‘We want these assessments to help local health services improve by highlighting areas of good practice.’

Some 850,000 Britons have dementia but this is predicted to soar to one million by 2025 and two million by 2050.