The Government has published a strategic framework on its Major Conditions Strategy – which covers the six groups of conditions accounting for 60% of all ill-health and early death in England.
The major conditions strategy begins with one question: how should the approach to health and care delivery evolve to improve outcomes and better meet the needs of the population, which is becoming older and living with multimorbidity? The Government has chosen six groups of conditions to focus on: cancers, cardiovascular disease (CVD) (including stroke and diabetes), musculoskeletal disorders (MSK), mental ill health, dementia, and chronic respiratory disease (CRD).
One in 4 adults has at least two health conditions. The conditions the Government will be focusing on account for over 60% of ill health and early death in England. The strategic framework sets out the direction for the strategy to tackle these groups of conditions. Among these conditions includes dementia.
Commenting on the publication, David Thomas, Head of Policy at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “This is a step in the right direction. Now we need to see rapid action if the strategy is to deliver, not just for people who are living with dementia, but for those who are anxiously waiting for diagnosis, and those who are at risk of developing it in the future.
“Dementia is the nation’s biggest killer. One in two of us will be directly affected by it in our lifetime, either by caring for someone with the condition, developing it ourselves or both. Thanks to breakthroughs in research, we now have an unprecedented chance to change this outlook, and alleviate the pressure it places on our health and care system and society more widely. But this all depends on having a clear government strategy which sets out tangible actions to harness these research breakthroughs and ensure they deliver for everyone affected by dementia. Alzheimer’s Research UK is ready to hold government to account until this new strategy delivers just that.”
