Dementia care crisis in Portsmouth as hundreds of patients miss out of vital support reviews

NHS guidance states dementia patients’ mental and physical wellbeing should be re-assessed in a face-to-face review every 12 months, as they are more likely to suffer from depression and less likely to report physical problems.

Charity Alzheimer’s Society warned outdated care plans may increase the chances of those living with dementia being rushed to hospital for issues that could have been prevented with good care, such as falls and infections.

Figures from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities show 371 dementia patients in the NHS Portsmouth CCG area had their care plan reassessed in the year to March – 26 per cent of those with a diagnosis.

This was a sharp drop from 2019-20, when 71 per cent of patients received a dementia care review.

While figures for the NHS Fareham and Gosport CCG area show 732 dementia patients had their plans reassessed – 37 per cent of those with a diagnosis, a huge drop of 74 per cent compared to previous figures.

Across England, the proportion of those receiving a care review dropped dramatically, from 75 per cent in 2019-20 to 40 per cent last year.Gavin Terry, head of policy at the Alzheimer’s Society said: ‘This drastic drop in the number of people with dementia getting their care plans reviewed over the past two years is yet more evidence of just how badly hit they have been by the Covid pandemic.

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‘Despite the best efforts of our brilliant NHS and care staff, people with dementia have seen their routine care continually paused and people with dementia had the highest death rate from Covid.’

The Alzheimer’s Society is calling on the government to increase funding to decrease the backlog of people waiting for a formal diagnosis.

Mr Terry said: ‘We know the pandemic has prevented tens of thousands of people from getting an all-important dementia diagnosis.

‘We’re calling for urgent action from the government, so people can access the vital support and treatments a diagnosis brings.’

The government said it was investing £375m for neurodegenerative disease research – including for dementia – over the next five years.

A Department for Health and Social Care spokeswoman said: ‘We want a society where every person with dementia, and their families and carers, receive high quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to end of life.

‘Since the start of the pandemic we have committed over £6bn to councils to support people and tackle the impact of Covid-19 on their services, including adult social care.

‘We have also invested an additional £5.4bn over the next three years to begin a comprehensive reform programme.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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