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One of the first sets of quality standards published by NICE was on dementia, a condition that affects over 800,000 people in the UK. A review of the quality statements that form the quality standard for dementia is provided in this issue by Dr David Anderson, a Consultant Old Age Psychiatrist, and his colleague Dr Nadarajah Jehaanandan, a Specialist Registrar in Old Age Psychiatry. Although the statements rightly cover all aspects of patient care, they also focus on the highly important role of the carer as highlighted by Drs Anderson and Jehaanandan: 'The contribution of informal carers is the foundation upon which care plans for people with dementia are built. … The emotional, psychological, and practical demands of [their] role are substantial.' The importance of offering assessments to carers along with access to respite services are both included in the quality standard for dementia (Statements 6 and 10).

A recent survey by the Alzheimer's Society indicates that these improvements in carer support are needed: around 52% of carers stated that they were not receiving enough care and support to help them fulfil their caring role and reported this was having a negative impact on their health and also that of the person with dementia.¹ This highlights the importance of identifying where support is required, and primary care is well placed to do this. The newly announced Mental Health Strategy and its associated investment of £400 million,² and a further investment in 79 local projects,³ will also help to improve support for carers.

Julia Morris, Editor
julia.morris@mgp.ltd.uk

References

1. Alzheimer’s Society website. www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/press_article.php?pressReleaseID=618
2. Department of Health website. www.dh.gov.uk/en/MediaCentre/Pressreleases/DH_124018
3. Department of Health website. www.dh.gov.uk/en/MediaCentre/Pressreleases/DH_124173G