Shadow health minister Stephen O'Brien yesterday attacked the government for "dithering" over the challenges presented by the ageing population.
Speaking at the Conservative party conference in Birmingham, O'Brien said: "Labour has done so very little that Ivan Lewis said they had probably belatedly recognised the problem."
He went on to say that the cost of ignoring the issue meant the homes had been taken from parents to pay for care. "They are being punished by having their homes taken from them. They deserve better and with the Conservative government they will get better," he said.
O'Brien said that a Conservative government would ensure increased funding for Alzheimer's research, a condition which affects 700,000. He added that the government supported the idea of Nice but said its role should not be about denying drugs but looking at ways for them to be more widely available.
For more see Sally Gillen's blog on the Conservative conference
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