In a packed plenary session at the UK Dementia Congress in Coventry on 27 November 2024, Dr Jeremy Isaacs, consultant neurologist, St George’s Hospital and Kingston Hospital, and National Clinical Director for Dementia and Older People’s Mental Health, NHS England, set out his priorities and ambition.
He emphasised that prevention – delaying the onset of dementia for everyone – is a necessity so that we can handle demographic ageing. However, only a third of people know it is possible to reduce their risk of dementia, and inequality is a big factor: only the least deprived have so far benefited from dementia risk reduction.
The dementia team at NHS England is small and prioritisation is essential, he said, but “The number one thing I want to fix in my time in this role is post-diagnostic care and support, so that no one feels abandoned after diagnosis.”