Agenda item

To receive a presentation on progress against the Implementation Plan for the delivery of the Strategy.

Note: The following document has been made available since the agenda was originally published.

Copy of the presentation notes.  Appendix D (Page)

Bev White, Lead Commissioner (Dementia) Care Services and Commissioning and Mark Wheatley, Public Health Specialist, Mental Health and Vulnerable Groups gave a presentation on the progress made against the Implementation Plan for the delivery of the Strategy. A copy of the presentation had been circulated to Members prior to meeting and had been published with the agenda

In addition to the information shown in the presentation the following comments and statements were noted:-

a)         The national costs for dementia services of £26.3m were more that the costs for strokes and cancer services combined.

b)         The achievements to date were listed in full in the presentation.

c)         Much work had been undertaken to design leaflets for dementia sufferers and carers.

d)         The City Council’s Dementia Care Advisors are a point of contact for people living with dementia from diagnosis onwards.

e)         In 2014 there was a focus during National Dementia Week on BME communities in response to previous comments made by members to raise awareness and support.

f)          Work was progressing under the Frail Older People priority work-stream of the Better Care Together Programme.  Data was being gathered on services in all sectors.  A bid to the CCG to fund a project to explore the reasons for under representation of BME communities in dementia services had been submitted and the outcome was awaited.

g)         The dementia diagnosis rate in Leicester was 67% which was one of the best in the country compared to the national average of 48%.  A stretch target of 72% had been set for the end of the year.

h)        The diagnosis rates of dementia by ward and by ethnicity were contained in the presentation notes previously circulated.  The ward analysis identified those ward where the rates of diagnosis were significantly higher or lower rate for Leicester as a whole.  There was an under representation in the diagnosis of 16.8% of the Asian/Asian British ethnic category compared with their proportion of the total population of 25.7%.

In response to members’ questions, the following responses were noted:-

a)         Officers were working with the CCG to understand the disparities on the rates of diagnosis by wards and ethnicity.

b)         Although Rushey Mead Ward had a number of elderly persons’ homes, the rates for diagnosis of dementia in the ward were close to the average for the city as a whole.  It may be that a number of people in residential care may not be formally diagnosed with dementia.  They may be engaged with primary care services and may have entered residential care for other reasons and developed dementia as they grew older.

c)         Good practice for new build care homes is to have separate accommodation aimed at residents with similar levels of need. Advice was given to potential investors in the city on the requirements for new build care homes.  This separation was not always possible in existing care homes but staff are required to have training to be able to deliver care to people with differing levels of dementia and this is monitored through the contract monitoring process (QAF).

d)         A number of care homes were working towards becoming dementia specialists.

e)         There are 200 types of dementia with symptoms other than memory loss.  Many changes to a person’s health may be subtle in nature and may not be easily recognised by the person or others close to them.  It was not uncommon, therefore, to encounter people for the first time when they were at a crisis stage.

f)          The waiting time between people being diagnosed and receiving treatment varied depending upon the pressures on the secondary care services.  Currently the average waiting time was approximately 12 weeks.  Difficulties arose because efforts had been made to increase the diagnosis of dementia and no extra funds had been invested into other services along the pathway, which created inevitable bottlenecks at times.

RESOLVED:-

That the officers be thanked for their presentation and that a further update on progress with the strategy be submitted after the forthcoming elections but before the start of National Dementia Week.  The update to include comparable date with other benchmark authorities together with details of the specifications for specialist dementia care homes.