NHS England mandate revamped to recognise dementia as a national priority

The Department of Health has published the NHS Mandate for England for 2014-15 - which has been updated to recognise dementia as a national priority.

The first Mandate between the Government and the NHS Commissioning Board, sets out the ambitions for the health service for the next two years

The Mandate will come into effect on 1 April 2014 and has been updated to include its aims to meet the needs of an ageing population and the increasing prevalence of long-term physical and mental health conditions.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: “Never in its long history has the NHS faced such rapid change in our healthcare needs, from caring for an older population, to managing the cost of better treatments, to seizing the opportunities of new technology.

“This Mandate is about giving the NHS the right priorities to deal with those challenges. By focusing on what matters to patients, and giving doctors and other professionals the freedom to deliver, we will make sure the NHS stays relevant to our needs and continues providing the best possible care for us all.”

Following a public consultation which ran from 5 July to 27 September, the Government updated the Mandate recognising the need to deliver better quality care and treatment for people with dementia.

Alongside its ambition to increase the diagnosis of those with dementia to two-thirds, the Mandate also recognises Alzheimer’s Society’s request to combine this with appropriate post-diagnosis support.

George McNamara, head of policy and public affairs at Alzheimer’s Society, welcomed the revamped Mandate and said: “The UK is facing the biggest challenge yet in tackling dementia and it’s encouraging that the Mandate recognises dementia as a national priority.

“It’s great that diagnosing dementia is now hard-wired into the NHS and that there is an aim to provide appropriate post diagnosis support. It’s crucial that plans are turned into action if this combined approach is to help those with dementia and their carers live well in the community for longer.”