Plan recommends more individual dementia care as Gething launches consultation

Support for Welsh people newly diagnosed with dementia and their right to individualised care are key recommendations in the latest dementia strategic action plan. 

Cabinet Secretary for Health in Wales, Vaughan Gething, is launching a public consultation on the Dementia Strategic Action Plan 2017-2022 at Oldwell Court, a specialist day service for people with dementia in Cardiff today.  

Actions include: 

• local authorities and health boards are to develop a ‘team around the individual approach’ with services tailored to the individual with dementia and their carers
• the Welsh Government will promote and develop research on living with dementia that includes families and carers as co-researchers and looks to address inequalities experienced by people with dementia

Health Secretary Vaughan Gething said: “No two people with dementia, or those that support them, will have identical needs.  And yet we know that dementia is one of the most significant health and social care issues that we face – it is estimated that between 40,000 to 50,000 people in Wales are currently living with dementia.

“We have worked closely with advocacy groups and people with dementia to develop this strategic action plan and we are opening a consultation on the plan today.  

“It looks across all the ways in which we can affect people’s experience of living with dementia: from prevention and health promotion; to living as well as possible as long as possible with dementia; to supporting research.  I hope everyone who has an interest will respond to our consultation and give their views.”

The draft Dementia Strategic Action Plan 2017-2022 has been developed following close engagement with people with dementia, their families, carers and dementia advocacy groups.  

_{Picture (c) Jonathan Brady / PA Wire.}