Written answers

Tuesday, 29 May 2018

Department of Health

National Dementia Strategy Implementation

Photo of Mary ButlerMary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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127. To ask the Minister for Health the status of the implementation of the National Dementia Strategy. [23510/18]

Photo of Jim DalyJim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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The National Dementia Strategy was launched in December 2014, and seeks to increase awareness and understanding of dementia, ensure earlier diagnosis and intervention and develop enhanced community based supports and services. It was created to meet the challenges faced by the 55,000 people living with dementia in Ireland and to provide a network of services that will meet growing demand in future years. The number of people with dementia is expected to almost treble by 2046.

The Strategy identified 35 priority and additional actions to be implemented over its lifetime. Of these 35 actions, one has been fully implemented. Substantial work has been completed on 16 others, while preliminary work has been conducted on a further 17. One action has suffered from significant delays because there is a number of pending legislative streams which are impacting on the progression of this action.

Work is underway on the vast majority of actions. Due to the lack of reliable national data on dementia care services in Ireland, much of this work has focused on collecting baseline information on current dementia service structures, to generate an evidence base for the development of services. This work is necessary in order to ensure that the development of national dementia services meets the identified needs of people with dementia, their families and carers, while also integrating with existing structures and services.

Priority actions, which received funding from the HSE and grants from the Atlantic Philanthropies, have included the establishment of a National Dementia Office within the HSE, which is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Strategy.

The PREPARED programme offers GPs and Primary Care Teams upskilling and training to diagnose and manage dementia. It will also map local services and supports.

The Dementia: Understand Together has been working with individuals, businesses, organisations and communities to take steps in creating inclusive and supportive environments for people with dementia. Radio and television advertisements have featured prominently, and continue to play a role in combatting the stigma and social isolation that a diagnosis of dementia often causes.

Recognising that many people with dementia wish to continue living in their own homes and communities, and that flexible, person-centred services are an integral component of supporting people to remain at home, dementia specific intensive home care packages have been introduced to assist people with dementia who have complex needs. Funding which had been granted by Atlantic for the first three years has been replaced by resources from the HSE. At the end of April, 316 people had benefitted from a package, with 147 active at that point. The HSE has committed to continue funding the delivery of intensive home care packages to people with dementia.

A number of additional actions within the National Dementia Strategy are being addressed. Funding for these actions has been secured through the Dormant Accounts Fund, with the Department securing €2.28 million through the 2016 and 2017 Action Plans. These projects include a dementia diagnostic programme, a post-diagnostic support pathway, the development of a network of memory technology resource rooms, the mapping of dementia specific community based services, and the creation of a dementia registry.

On Wednesday 23rd May, a mid-term review of the implementation of the National Dementia Strategy was launched, fulfilling a commitment made by the Department. This Review provides an overview of work completed to date and work ongoing for each action identified in the Strategy. Also contained is an action plan for the work of the National Dementia Office over the next 18 months.

A large scale external evaluation of the Strategy is currently being conducted, with the aim of detailing the level of success in improving the dementia care system and the extent to which programmes and activities have impacted on people with dementia and their families and carers. The results of this external evaluation will be available during Q1 2019.

The Department is committed to the full implementation of the National Dementia Strategy, and will continue to co-operate with the National Dementia Office and stakeholders in progressing actions contained in the Strategy.

This is an area that I am very conscious of and recognise that it needs more focus to deliver on the full strategy. I am also conscious that dementia is becoming a condition that affects more and more families across the country. I have already had high level meetings with my officials and the HSE to discuss further deliverables in the context of the estimates for budget 2019 and I hope to be able progress new measures at this time.

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