Alzheimer's Society chief says people with dementia are 'dumped' in hospital

One in 10 dementia patients (40,000) spend longer than a month in hospital, figures analysed by the Alzheimer's Society reveals, prompting its chief executive to say people with dementia are being “dumped“ in hospital.

The number of emergency admissions among those with dementia is rising, according to the charity, which analysed hospital records covering emergency admissions in the six years to 2017-18.

Those with dementia needing emergency hospital treatment has risen by 35 per cent in the last five years.

The charity's analysis has revealed in 2017/18, there were 379,000 emergency hospital admissions of people with dementia - an increase of 100,000 since 2012-13.

Alzheimer's Society chief executive Jeremy Hughes said: "People with dementia are all too often being dumped in hospital and left there.

"Many are only admitted because there's no social care support to keep them safe at home. They are commonly spending more than twice as long in hospital as needed, confused and scared."

Responding to the Alzheimer’s Society’s analysis, Niall Dickson, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: “The system is not working and these figures reveal how it is letting down people with dementia and putting our hospitals under unnecessary and intolerable strain.”

The results of an election poll of NHS Confederation members (published in a new report 'Fit for the future: how should the incoming government help the NHS?' has revealed nearly all (98 per cent) of its health leaders believe worsening social care crisis is having a damaging knock-on impact on the NHS and patient care.

Mr Dickson added: “Nearly every health leader we have surveyed says the social care crisis is harming patient care. “The NHS and social care are sister services - when one does not work, the other suffers. “Unless something is done now it can only get worse. The government has promised reform but unless we find an answer soon, backed up by long-term funding, this tragedy will go blighting the lives of affecting hundreds of thousands of people with dementia and their families.”

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