Dementia strategy: not enough money to deliver?

The Department of Health (DH) (2009) published a strategy for dementia care: Living Well with Dementia to promote effective dementia care on a par with care for cancer and cardio-vascular disease. It was based on evidence to enable cost-effective commissioning and care provision and was an ambitious and comprehensive strategy for dementia. Like all strategies, it required a strong implementation plan if it was to yield the intended improvements for dementia services. However, the National Audit Office (NAO) (2010) has challenged the espoused ambition of the DH that dementia is now a national priority because there is little evidence of the urgency normally expected for such a priority.