Britain languishes near the bottom of the European league table for the number of victims receiving anti-dementia drugs. Only five countries have a worse record.

The National Audit Office (NAO) report says urgent action is needed to tackle shortcomings in services for a condition which costs the country £14.3 billion a year – more than £25,000 for every man, woman and child – including £1.2 billion spent by the NHS.

In particular, there needs to be more support for the “selfless” army of nearly half a million carers who look after relatives and friends with dementia.

The report’s publication comes as the labour Government’s drugs rationing watchdog NICE is facing a legal challenge over its decision to restrict the availability of drugs that can delay the onset of Alzheimer’s.

The National Institute for Curbing Expenditure ruled that around 100,000 people in the early stages of the disease should not receive the drugs on the NHS. But drugs companies launched a High Court challenge last week to overturn the decision.

While Nice had ruled out drugs for people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s – which accounts for 62 per cent of all dementia cases -this report says there is a consensus that early diagnosis and treatment is vital.

In a highly critical report, the NAO says ministers and the NHS have not given enough priority to a condition which is suffered by around 560,000 people in Britain.

However, that figure is expected to soar by nearly 40 per cent to around 780,000 over the next 15 years as people live longer. By 2051, there will be 1.4 million sufferers.

The report says that dementia is estimated to be a factor in almost 60,000 deaths each year, around 13 per cent of all deaths in Britain. In around 18,000 cases, dementia is the main cause of death, often because victims become so frail they lose the ability to swallow or eat.

Despite its growing prevalence, the report says that only one in three sufferers ever receive a formal diagnosis. It takes twice as long to diagnose patients in Britain than many other European countries.

The report was welcomed last night by campaigners and opposition politicians.

Neil Hunt, the chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “The human and economic cost of dementia can’t be ignored – one in three older people will end their lives with a form of dementia.

“It is absolutely crucial that people with dementia get diagnosed as early as possible so that they and their families get the information and support they need.”

• The elderly are finding it increasingly difficult to access crucial care services, a survey reveals today.

Older people are being confronted by a growing “care gap”, with low-level services which allow people to carry on living in their home – such as shopping or cleaning – being squeezed out as authorities focus scarce resources on intensive care for the most vulnerable.

The survey by charity Counsel and Care showed that 70 per cent of local authorities only provide care for those with “critical or substantial needs”.

From:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/07/04/nhs104.xml