Senior health officials and social care leaders are urging Prime Minister Andy Burnham to adopt an 18-week referral-to-treatment waiting-time target for dementia patients in England. The proposal has been put forward by Alzheimer’s Society and endorsed by Professor Sir Mike Richards, England’s former national cancer director, and Baroness Louise Casey, who is conducting a major review of adult social care.
The advocates argue that dementia care requires what they describe as a “cancer-style revolution” to bring the system into the modern era. Currently, England has no waiting-time targets for dementia diagnosis and treatment, whereas the NHS maintains specific waiting-time targets for cancer care. Professor Richards, who oversaw the introduction of cancer waiting-time targets in 2000, indicated that an 18-week target for dementia would be achievable but would require significant political commitment and additional funding.
During a speech at an Alzheimer’s Society conference, Social Care Minister Alison McGovern expressed support for the proposal, stating that dementia care has been “neglected for far too long.” McGovern highlighted the particular strain the current system places on patients and families navigating fragmented health and social care services. The government has committed to appointing a senior official to oversee dementia care and publishing a new service framework by the end of the year.
Baroness Casey made a similar recommendation in correspondence earlier this year, calling for dementia to be placed on equal footing with other conditions through the establishment of national diagnostic standards and an 18-week referral-to-treatment target. She has indicated that comprehensive recommendations on social care reform will be published next summer. Approximately one million people are currently living with dementia in the UK, with projections indicating this figure could reach 1.4 million by 2040.
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