Dementia care must be improved - Randerson

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 20th Feb 2008

Welsh Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Health and Social Care, Jenny Randerson AM has today asked the Deputy Minister for Social Care to urgently deal with the lack of home care beds for dementia sufferers. Jenny Randerson's questioning followed the release of a report by the Alzheimer's Society that showed 2/3rds of care home residents have some form of dementia but only 6% of care home beds are designated for dementia patients.

Jenny Randerson said: "Yesterday's report into delayed transfers of care from the Audit Committee recommended that WAG should consider pump priming money for services to transfer patients from acute to community care. The speed with which new dementia places have been taken up in Wales so far is testament to the urgent need for action.

"This situation is only going to get worse with Wales' ageing population. The Welsh Assembly Government must take a strategic role in solving this acute crisis and needs to provide additional money for this as well."

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