MP seeks to turn recommendations for local specialist dementia support into Parliamentary action
The Office of Rachel Gilmour, MP for Tiverton and Minehead, published a report recommending improvements for dementia services in her constituency. Ms Gilmour has also applied to bring forward a Ten Minute Rule Bill on Dementia Specialist Support, to turn the report’s findings into action in Parliament. The recommendations include:
A named Dementia Care Navigator, giving people a single point of contact to connect them to the right support at the right time after diagnosis.
A local dementia hub, run by a named care navigator, bringing together advice, signposting, activities and carer support in one place, with GPs able to refer people there after diagnosis.
More Admiral Nurses and specialist dementia training, commissioned in Tiverton and Minehead, as Dementia UK works towards a national target of 1,000 by 2030, up from 476.
The report cites evidence from the Oxleas Advanced Dementia Service in south London, where every emergency hospital admission avoided through a named care coordinator saved £10,983 per patient. The report also calls for better rural transport, including a possible subsidised taxi scheme, wider access to respite care for carers, and more meaningful activities for people living with dementia themselves.
The report has contributions from local and national organisations, and individuals including Professor Sube Bannerjee, and was dedicated to Ms Gilmour’s mother, who lives with dementia.
You can read the report here: https://www.rachelgilmour.org.uk/dementia-report.