Enhancing Dementia Care: Government's Strategic Update

1. Improving Dementia Care: an update on the work of the Dementia Strategy Implementation Group Alistair Burns -National Clinical Director for Dementia Gill Ayling – Deputy Director for Older People and Dementia

2. The Coalition Government

3. THE POLITICAL CONTEXT The Coalition’s Programme for Government • Where ever possible, we want people to call the shots over the decisions that affect them and their loved ones. We will extend transparency to every area of public life. • Our government will be a much smarter one, shunning the bureaucratic levers of the past and finding intelligent ways to encourage, support and enable people to make better choices for themselves. • Don’t always turn to officials, local authorities or central government for answers to problems that you face, but instead feel both free and powerful to help yourselves and your communities

4. THE POLITICAL CONTEXT The Secretary of State’s Five Commitments • Patient-centred services. • A focus on outcomes. • Accountability. • Promote better Public Health.. • Reform of Long Term Care.

5. WHITE PAPER: LIBERATING THE NHS • Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS is a NHS White Paper setting out a future vision for the NHS • It describes a system where: • Patients are at the heart of everything the NHS does • Healthcare outcomes in England are among the best in the world • Clinicians are empowered to deliver results • There are three key elements: • GP consortia • National Commissioning Board • Economic Regulator • It seeks views on how the vision should be implemented • A Health Bill will be introduced into Parliament later in the year and responses to this consultation will help inform the contents of the Bill

6. WHITE PAPER: LIBERATING THE NHS A number of supporting consultation documents have been published: • Transparency in outcomes – a framework for the NHS • Commissioning for patients • Increasing democratic legitimacy in health • Regulating healthcare providers and further consultation documents will be published later in the year on: • the creation of the Public Health Service • Adult Social Care Outcome Framework • an information strategy

7. DEMENTIA IS A PRIORITY FOR THE COALITION GOVERNMENT • The government is committed to ensuring there is a greater focus on accelerating the pace of improvement through local delivery of and local accountability for achieving quality outcomes in dementia care. • The Government has also signalled the priority attached to dementia care in the recently revised Operating Framework 2010/11 • Dementia was one of only two areas given additional emphasis in the revised framework, demonstrating the importance the government attaches to this • Local organisations will be expected to publish how they are delivering on quality outcomes so that they can be held to account by local people • This new outcomes-focused approach will enable people to have a good understanding of local services, how these compare to other services, and the level of quality that they can expect

8. QUALITY OUTCOMES FOR PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA: BUILDING ON THE WORK OF THE NATIONAL DEMENTIA STRATEGY • This new outcomes focused approach is also set out in the Government’s revised implementation plan for the NDS, which was published earlier this week. • The refreshed NDS implementation plan has a greater focus on outcomes, local delivery and accountability and sets out the Government’s priorities for implementation in four key areas: • good quality early diagnosis and intervention for all • Improved quality of care in general hospitals • Living well with dementia in care homes • Reduced use of antipsychotic medication • It builds on objectives contained in the Dementia Strategy, work on all of which will continue

9. CONCLUSIONS • Strategy widely welcomed • Range of national and local work to support implementation • High profile in terms media and other interest • Priority indicated from the Coalition Government • Clinical leadership provided by National Clinical Director • Focus on local delivery & accountability for achieving quality outcomes in dementia care