Andy Burnham has challenged scientists to make Britain the country that finally develops a cure for dementia. The Prime Minister will announce a £48million partnership with healthcare firms and charities to speed up research and development of new treatments.
Speaking less than a month after his dad Roy died after living with Alzheimer's disease, Mr Burnham said: "Dementia is a devastatingly cruel disease, not only for those who live with it, but for the families who care for them. For too long, we have accepted dementia as something to be managed later in life, rather than a disease we can defeat. I don't accept that. In fact, I have real hope that we can come together and do exactly that."
National priority for dementia research
Mr Burnham said he wants Britain to be the country that delivers the cure for dementia the world has been waiting for. He said he is making dementia research a national priority by backing the NHS, universities, researchers and industry to drive the breakthroughs needed.
The government will invest £33million through the Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals programme, set up in memory of the EastEnders star who died in 2020 after a long battle with the illness. Funding will also come from Bristol Myers Squibb, GSK and Gates Ventures, to help tackle one of the biggest barriers to research - recruiting enough people to test new treatments.
Turning the tide on dementia
Speaking ahead of the Innovation Nation Summit, Health Secretary Yvette Cooper said: "This cruel disease has done so much damage to families across our country, and for too long we have lacked the tools to fight back. This investment will help us turn the tide on dementia, helping us to speed up diagnosis, accelerate research and give more people the chance to take part in trials that could transform their futures."
Money pledged will support the work of the Barbara Alliance, which brings together experts, industry chiefs, charities and those affected by dementia. It will focus on making it easier for researchers to find people to take part in studies.
Boosting trial recruitment
Hilary Evans-Newton CBE, chair of the Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals programme and chief executive of Alzheimer's Research UK, said: "We know that people affected by dementia want the opportunity to be part of the search for better treatments. More than 90% we've surveyed told us they would like to take part in research, helping to shape a better future for everyone affected by the condition."
Jessamy Baird, who heads the alliance, said: "Taking part in a trial not only means that someone can contribute to the future course of the disease, they also get the opportunity to receive interventions, treatments and better care, which can help them and their loved ones."
Mr Burnham will announce that dementia will be among the first priorities for the new Health Data Research Service (HDRS), a flagship commitment of the government's 10 Year Health Plan and Life Sciences Sector Plan. Joining up research will mean scientists can understand how diseases develop and trial cutting-edge treatments. The measure will sit alongside Mr Burnham's pledge to bring forward a National Care Service that would provide free personal care for older people, funded by looking at scrapping the triple lock while still ensuring the state pension rises every year.
