4 July 2007
Dear Sir,
The National Audit Office’s finding that fewer GPs feel confident in their training to diagnose and manage dementia than three years ago is deeply worrying and also frustrating, given that the government has been aware of this problem for some time now (Health service must act to tackle rise in dementia, says watchdog, 4 July.)
A 1998 study by the Mental Health Foundation found that provision of early intervention services for dementia was patchy and poorly organised. Clearly, little has changed, despite widespread public support for such services – an NOP poll carried out for us in 2005 found that 89% of people would prefer to receive a dementia diagnosis as early as possible.
An early diagnosis gives a person with dementia time to adjust and make choices about their future while they still have the capacity to do so. The status quo is denying thousands of people these opportunities, making a difficult situation so much worse.
Andrew McCulloch
Chief Executive
The Mental Health Foundation
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