Charity calls for more localised dementia funding

The amount of specialist care received by dementia patients is determined largely by the area in which they live, latest figures have suggested.

According to the Dementia UK charity, many areas do not have access to senior mental health professionals known as Admiral Nurses, the Evening Standard reports.

They provide support to patients and their families, including advice on how to access social care funding and deal with diagnosis of the neurodegenerative condition.

Barbara Stephens, Dementia UK chief executive, suggested that although David Cameron and health secretary Jeremy Hunt regularly comment on dementia funding, the finances they promise are not finding their way to local communities.

"Services aren't joined up and in many places families are left in the dark about what services are available to them," she stated.

It costs around £80,000 to commission an Admiral Nurse for a year, taking into account training and management costs. This is usually covered by the NHS, local authorities or by Dementia UK as a result of its fund-raising activities.

Find out more about dementia care and support services at Barchester homes.