Dementia Research in the UK

Steven Bonnar Excerpts

Thursday 10th February 2022 Commons Chamber

[Steven Bonnar (Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill) (SNP)]

I too commend the hon. Member for Oldham East and Saddleworth (Debbie Abrahams) for securing this debate and for her excellent contributions to it.

We have heard that dementia affects around 850,000 people in the United Kingdom—one in every 14 people over the age of 65, and one in every six over the age of 80. Dementia is one of the leading causes of death across the United Kingdom and currently, as we know, there is no cure. The most well-known impact of dementia on an individual is progressive memory loss, which affects both mental and physical abilities and makes it difficult to execute even the most basic of daily activities effectively and efficiently. When someone is diagnosed with dementia, it can be overwhelming, as they face several difficult challenges on the long road ahead.

We all know and have heard just how much dementia has affected many of our constituents and their loved ones during this awful pandemic. The House heard so lovingly from my hon. Friend the Member for Ochil and South Perthshire (John Nicolson) about his plight and the plight of his wonderful mother Marion. I have spoken to those who care for family members across my constituency of Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill, and they have expressed how much more difficult covid and the pandemic have made the experience, as the pandemic has presented its own new and unique challenges.

Not only does dementia cause harm and heartbreak to millions of families throughout the countries of the UK but it is completely unsustainable for our health and social care systems. The economic cost to the UK of caring for people with dementia is estimated to grow from the £24 billion it was in 2014 to £47 billion by 2050. Age is, of course, by far the biggest risk factor for a dementia diagnosis, and as our population ages the number of people diagnosed with dementia will increase. The number of people living with dementia in the UK is expected to exceed 1 million by 2025.

As we have heard, 90,000 people are currently living with dementia in homes all across Scotland. That is why the SNP Scottish Government published a dementia and covid-19 action plan in December 2020, to build on, continue and expand the national action taken since March 2020 to support people with dementia and their carers. The Scottish Government are working with partners such as Age Scotland to help dementia patients to get better support and have a bigger say in what works for them and in their individual care package.

The Scottish Government have pledged a further £1 million to help to tackle dementia in Scotland. Brian Sloan, the chief exec of Age Scotland, said:

“This funding will help address some of these challenges by shaping communities that work for those who have lived experience of dementia.”

That is a clear indication of the effectiveness of Scotland’s response. The Scottish Government have seen how the coronavirus pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on people with dementia. Through partnerships, they will help to grow the community support that has been considered critical to people and their families. I am of the belief that Scotland is also seeing positive results through our policy of integrated health and social care among health boards and local authorities. The Westminster Government should follow that lead.

Of course, Scotland is currently the only country in the United Kingdom with free personal care, which is extremely important support for people under the financial strains that dementia and living with dementia can place on families. People who are not in Scotland may wonder what that looks like: a dementia sufferer can receive up to four visits per day in their own home, where care is administered and the carer spends some time with them because, as the right hon. and gallant Member for Beckenham (Bob Stewart) pointed out, loneliness can be one of the biggest indicators that mean people simply give up. We must do everything we can to make sure that people live a fulfilling and wonderful life.

[Ms Lyn Brown]

Hear, hear!

[Steven Bonnar]

Thank you.

In 2017, the UK Government declared that the UK would be the most dementia- friendly country in the world by 2020. [Interruption.] The Minister nods his head, but unfortunately we know that that is not true: just look at the hundreds of dementia care homes in England that were discovered to be providing substandard care to their dementia patients.

A Care Quality Commission report found that one in every five homes specialising in dementia were rated as “inadequate” or “requiring improvement”. Some posed such a serious risk to people with dementia—because of filthy living conditions, poor infection control and poorly trained staff—that inspectors had to order them to be put into special measures. In total, 1,636 care homes are failing patients, according to findings described as “appalling” by charities and campaigners. They stated that immediate action was required to address the “unacceptable” state of dementia care across the country.

If we are to position the UK as the world leader in dementia—something we all want to see—we should not start by cutting the much-needed funding that was promised by the Government for dementia research. As we have heard, the 2019 Conservative party manifesto committed to address dementia by pledging to double funding for dementia research to more than £160 million per year. However, two years later and another broken promise later, we find ourselves in the same situation, with no plans from the Government to deliver on their manifesto pledge. The funding for dementia research for 2020 was £75.7 million—a decrease from £82.5 million in 2019 and from the high of £98.1 million in 2016.

What else do we need to say to persuade the Government to recognise the importance of funding dementia research in trials? Currently we have over 150 clinical trials worldwide examining potential dementia treatments. It is more pressing than ever that we can transform dementia diagnosis. We need early diagnosis of the diseases that cause dementia and we need to diagnose them more accurately; otherwise it will be too late for patients to benefit from potential new treatments. The Government should invest now in infrastructure, resources and the clinical workforce to build diagnostic capacity and support innovative ways of organising NHS services such as brain health clinics to offer new diagnostic pathways. I look forward to the Minister outlining how the Government intend to achieve that.

The Scottish Government have proven our commitment to dementia research with a one-off £75 million increase in funding for our universities to ensure that they can protect world-leading research programmes against the financial impacts of covid-19. That is exactly how we protect those we care about and those who care for us. The current prevalence rate of dementia among older people in the UK is about 7.1%, and of the four countries Scotland has the lowest prevalence rate, with England having the highest overall prevalence rate. With the growing trend and threat of dementia to our citizens, it is now time for this Government to act and to outline a proper plan to help combat the threat of dementia across these nations, with the goal of preventing people from developing the onset of dementia.

The UK Government can follow in the footsteps of Scotland and become the world leader in dementia research they told us they would be, but to do so they must deliver on their manifesto commitments to double the funding for dementia research, speed up progress in clinical trials, and ultimately—maybe only by the grace of God—help us to find the cure. We cannot allow any more time or opportunities to pass by as we seek to support those living with and at risk of dementia.