NHS publishes historic mandate
The government has confirmed that it is publishing a historic mandate for the NHS.
Secretary of state for health Jeremy Hunt stated that the move is part of the coalition's commitment to keeping the NHS as one of the finest institutions in the world.
Part of the mandate includes an aim of preventing premature deaths from the biggest killers, which includes dementia.
Commenting on the announcement of the mandate, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society Jeremy Hughes pointed out that hundreds of thousands of people with dementia do not have a diagnosis, which means they do not get access to the care they need.
"Through setting out a commitment to drive up diagnosis rates, today's announcement is a landmark step in delivering a health system fit to tackle dementia," he said.
Mr Hughes added that there is still a need for more clarity on how, when and at what level diagnosis targets are going to be set to ensure Britain leads Europe in dementia care.
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