Labour backs Community Care’s Dementia Declaration

The Labour Party has signed up to Community Care’s Dementia Declaration, leaving the Conservatives as the only major party yet to support the campaign.

Care services minister Phil Hope backed our call for a full debate on the issue during the election and for the next government to make dementia a financial priority, after this week’s Labour manifesto made specific commitments to improve dementia care.

He said: “I am in support of the declaration, and welcome debate on the future of dementia care.”

Labour’s support is a major boost for our campaign, which already has the support of the Liberal Democrats, Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru, the Democratic Unionists and the Green Party. Leading social care bodies have also backed the campaign, as have over 650 signatories to our petition.

Earlier this week Labour’s election manifesto pledged to make counselling, psychological therapies and memory clinics available to those with dementia in every area.

Dementia was not mentioned in the Conservative manifesto, but yesterday the Liberal Democrats committed themselves to prioritising dementia in the government’s health research and development budget in their election platform.

Hope said he was proud of his and Labour’s record on dementia. Under his watch, the government published England’s first national dementia strategy and appointed the the first national clinical director for dementia – Alastair Burns – to lead its implementation.

However, concerns have been raised about the implementation of the strategy by the National Audit Office, sector leaders and Community Care readers.

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