Alzheimer’s Society has delivered an open letter to the UK government, backed by 36,000 members of the public, urging it to deliver on its ten-year plan for dementia amid concerns of commitments ‘falling by the wayside’.

The UK charity said it had continually asked for an update on the commitments, which include doubling dementia research funding by 2024 and reforming the social care system, but had been told the strategy would be published ‘in due course’ 25 times.

The plan, originally announced in May 2022 by the then Health and Social Care secretary, Sajid Javid, promised to focus on assessing how new medicines and emerging science and technology can be used to improve outcomes for dementia patients across the country.

Commitments also included ‘record’ NHS funding to help reduce the COVID-19 backlog of dementia diagnoses after 30,000 people faced delays during the pandemic, along with a focus on supporting the specific health and care needs of those living with dementia.

A new ‘national dementia mission’ was also announced in August 2022 by the then Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, to help speed up dementia research and recommit to its previous dementia funding pledge.

The mission, which was launched in honour of Dame Barbara Windsor, also includes an additional £95m in ring-fenced funding to boost the number of clinical trials and innovative research projects, as well as a new taskforce similar to the group that delivered COVID-19 vaccines.

With diagnosis rates still falling below pre-pandemic levels, national figures have revealed that people are waiting up to two years in some areas for a diagnosis. Research conducted by the charity has also revealed that three in five people affected by dementia have struggled to get social care in the past year.

Alzheimer’s Society’s chief executive officer, Kate Lee, said: “We’ve welcomed previous commitments from the government, but we’re concerned they’re falling by the wayside.

“Too many people still face dementia alone, and PM Rishi Sunak has the chance to seize this moment and genuinely transform dementia research, diagnosis and care for one of the biggest health challenges in the UK.”

At the same time, Alzheimer’s Research UK has welcomed the government’s new commitments to its ‘Major Conditions Strategy’ and is calling for brain health to become a holistic approach to preventing dementia and promoting healthier lifestyles.

Announced by Health and Social Care secretary, Steve Barclay, the UK government has made new commitments to tackle the dementia crisis as part of its ‘Major Conditions Strategy’, a decision welcomed by Alzheimer’s Research UK.

The new UK-wide strategy aims to alleviate pressure on the health system, as well as support the government’s ambition to increase healthy life expectancy and reduce the number of those out of work due to ill health.

‘This work combines our key commitments in mental health, cancer, dementia and health disparities into a single, powerful strategy,’ Barclay said in a written ministerial statement.

Alzheimer’s Research UK said it now wants to see the concept of brain health embedded within the strategy as a holistic approach to preventing dementia and promoting healthier lifestyles.

The charity’s director of policy and public affairs, Samantha Benham-Hermetz, said: “The best advice to look after our brains also has benefits beyond dementia and can help prevent other diseases too, like heart disease and cancer, which also cause thousands of deaths and drive health inequalities across the UK.

“If this government strategy were to promote the concept of good brain health throughout our lives, we believe it has the potential to make huge strides in reducing ill health and the subsequent pressure on our health and care systems.”

Benham-Hermetz also outlined that Alzheimer’s Research UK will be contributing to the consultation process to “ensure a clear action plan emerges later this year”.

“This strategy must meet the mark for everyone affected by dementia, and we will hold government to account until it does,” she said.

The plan will also target other conditions that contribute to the ‘burden of disease in England’, Barclay explained in the statement, including cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases and musculoskeletal disorders.

‘Our approach will harness the potential of whole person care, addressing the fact that our health and care system has been built in silos, often focused around specific diseases or organs in the body,’ he said. ‘Our workforce model needs to adapt, reflecting that the NHS is caring for patients with increasingly complex needs and with multiple long-term conditions.’