A recent poll shows UK adults believe dementia is in the top three health areas the NHS should focus on in the next 10 years | Alzheimer’s Research UK
The survey commissioned by Alzheimer’s Research UK shows starkly different public priorities to those outlined today in an interview with NHS England’s Chief Executive Simon Stevens, which failed to acknowledge the harm dementia presents to the UK’s economy, health services, and lives of people living with condition and carers.
The survey asked people to consider how they would like resources, innovation and funding to be prioritised in the next 10 years. The top disease areas identified in an open-ended question were dementia and Alzheimer’s, cancer and mental health.
The survey also showed one in four UK adults say they believe dementia is the biggest health challenge facing the NHS in the next 70 years in terms of the cost to the NHS and the number of people affected in each of eight disease areas, including cancer, heart disease and mental health conditions. A quarter of adults selected dementia, the highest percentage for any disease area.
Alzheimer’s Research UK, the UK’s leading dementia research charity, is calling on the government and NHS England to make dementia a major priority in the forthcoming 10-year plan. This includes fostering innovation through increased funding for dementia research, working to detect the diseases that cause dementia 10-15 years sooner, increasing awareness of dementia risk reduction, and preparing today for future dementia treatments so they can reach people without unnecessary delay.
Full story at Alzheimer’s Research UK
