A coalition calling on the next Government to take action on dementia

We need General Election candidates from all political parties to understand the urgent need to take action on dementia for people living with the condition – now, and for future generations.  

Why the next Government must act 

• Dementia is the UK’s leading cause of death and the defining health and social challenge of our time.  
• Currently nearly one million people live with dementia in the UK. Yet hundreds of thousands of people remain in the dark about their diagnosis, locked out of vital care, support, and treatment opportunities that research brings. 
• For those who do receive a diagnosis, there remains no cure. And for too many families affected by dementia, the care and treatment options are often disjointed, inaccessible and inadequate. 

The new UK Government has a unique opportunity to transform the lives of people affected by the condition today and in the future. 

That’s why we’re partnering with Alzheimer’s Research UK, Alzheimer Scotland, Alzheimer’s Society and the UK Dementia Research Institute to demand better care and support for everyone affected by dementia across the UK.   

What we need from the next Government

Together, we are proud to launch a Dementia Coalition manifesto, calling on the next UK Government to: 

1. Prevent. Take steps to prevent, reduce and delay the onset of dementia. Create a cross-governmental ‘Brain Health’ National Prevention Strategy for dementia to address risk factors.
2. Diagnose. Invest to scale up the most promising research programmes developing new diagnostic tools. Commit to a series of ambitious diagnosis rate targets, including diagnosis of the specific type of dementia.
3. Support. Work to ensure no one faces dementia alone. Deliver improved dementia support in primary care. Introduce a young onset dementia national framework for England.
4. Care. Create a care system that works for everyone. Deliver a sustainable funding model for quality personalised care, and urgently review the NHS continuing healthcare funding (CHC) process.
5. Research. Invest in our shared future. Increase real-terms investment into dementia research, publish a long-term research strategy, and embed dementia research into health and social care across the UK.