Response: £2.9 billion funding to strengthen care for the vulnerable

£2.9b of the £5b fund to tackle coronavirus will be used to strengthen care for vulnerable people, including those living with dementia.

In response to the announcement from the Department of Health that £2.9b of the £5b COVID-19 fund announced by the Chancellor last week will go to strengthen care for the vulnerable, Sally Copley, Director of Policy Campaigns and Partnerships at Alzheimer's Society said:

We hugely welcome extra funding for social care announced for those most at risk through the coming weeks. The social care crisis is a dementia crisis: 70% of care home residents have dementia, as do 60% of care home users, and with 95% of people with dementia over-65, coronavirus is putting an enormous pressure on these services. We’ve been calling for urgent investment into social care – so it’s great to see Ministers acting on behalf of the 850,000 people with dementia.

All of this is rightly being issued at speed – so we do need to make sure people aren’t discharged without suitable support in place. One quarter of hospital beds are occupied by people with dementia so local authorities need to clarify where they’ll find the extra social care capacity and work effectively with the NHS to deliver this. There are 200,000 people living with dementia in the community today, many of whom will be needing access and support from their family or carers in the coming weeks. The demands on our overstretched social care system will only increase as many of our care workers become ill or are forced to self-isolate, as well as the 1.8 million unpaid carers in the UK.

Alzheimer’s Society is here for anyone affected by dementia - our Dementia Connect Support Line will remain open on 0333 150 3456 and our online community Dementia Talking Point can be accessed online for free, night or day, through our website alzheimers.org.uk."