35pc rise in hospital stays for dementia patients

EMERGENCY HOSPITAL admissions for people with dementia have risen by more than a third in five years, research by a charity shows.

More than 379,000 emergency admissions in England for people with dementia took place in 201718, the Alzheimer’s Society said.

This is up 100,000 from 2012-13 – a rise of 35 per cent, according to the charity.

The data also showed that 40,000 people stayed in hospital more than a month after their emergency admission – up six per cent in five years.

The charity believes much of the rise is down to insufficient care support and care home places able to provide specialist dementia care.

Jeremy Hughes, Alzheimer’s Society chief executive, warned of “the stark reality of many people with dementia left to fall through the cracks in our broken social care system”, leading to avoidable emergencies such as falls, dehydration and infections.

He said: “People with dementia are all too often being dumped in hospital and left there for long stays.

“Many are only admitted because there’s no social care support to keep them safe at home.

“They are commonly spending more than twice as long in hospital as needed, confused and scared.

“This costs the NHS millions for the want of properly funded social care.

“Some 850,000 people with dementia and their families across the UK heard the Prime Minister’s promise to fix social care. They expect action.”

The Alzheimer’s Society says the number of people with Alzheimer’s is projected to rise to 1.6 million by 2040.

Some 225,000 people will develop dementia this year, and one in six people over the age of 80 has dementia.

The society says there are over 42,000 people under 65 with dementia in the UK.

The cost of social care for people with dementia is set to nearly treble by 2040, increasing from £15.7bn to £45.4bn, and the Alzheimer’s Society says more research into the illness is needed.