Legal News

New figures from Public Health England (PHE) show that the proportion of people dying with a recorded dementia diagnosis has more than doubled since 2001.

Figures show the number of deaths with a mention of dementia was 6.6% of all deaths in 2001 and 15.8% of deaths in 2014.

PHE says this is most likely due to an increase in awareness and recording of dementia.

The new reports were produced by the Dementia Intelligence Network (DIN) in collaboration with the National End of Life Care Intelligence Network (NEoLCIN) – and draw on national data to see if there have been changes in dementia deaths over time, who the people dying with dementia are, where they die and the cause of their death.

The findings suggest that people who live in more deprived areas die with dementia at a younger age than those who live in more affluent areas.

There are also considerable differences between the place of death for people who have dementia and the general population – people with dementia are considerably more likely to die in hospitals and care homes and less likely to die at home or in end-of-life care settings, such as hospices.

Head of clinical epidemiology at PHE, Professor Julia Verne, said:

“We hope that these products can be used to help the NHS and its partners to commission and deliver high-quality end-of-life care, in a way that makes the most efficient use of resources and responds to the wishes of dying people and their families.”

National Clinical Director for Dementia for NHS England and chair of the PHE’s DIN leadership group, Alistair Burns, added:

“High-quality end of life care is a key aspect of the quality of dementia services.

“This report highlights some important measures of end-of-life in people with dementia – and is helpful in raising the profile of this crucial aspect of dementia care.”

Director Newcastle University Institute for Ageing, Professor Louise Robinson, also said:

“In order to improve the quality of end-of-life care, we need to accurately know where people with dementia die – and under what circumstances and these new PHE reports significantly help improve this understanding.

“Service commissioners and service providers now need to critically examine current care provision for people with dementia – especially their access to existing community and specialist end-of-life services – with a view to introducing better systems to facilitate preferred place of care, and reduce unnecessary hospital admissions and care transitions in the last year of life.”

Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are the result of physical changes in the brain, which can result in mental health conditions, such as psychosis, memory loss and confusion, aggression and personality changes.

Duncan Lewis Mental Health Solicitors

Duncan Lewis is the UK’s largest provider of Legal Aid mental health services and can advise mental health patients on a wide range of issues – including access to NHS mental health services and detention under the Mental Health Act.

Duncan Lewis mental health solicitors regularly visit NHS hospitals to advise on mental health law – and are available nationwide at short notice for hospital and police station appointments.

In some cases, Duncan Lewis mental health solicitors may be able to advise the nearest relative or carer of a mental health patient on a range of issues, including initiating treatment reviews where appropriate.

For expert legal advice on mental health law, call the Duncan Lewis Mental Health Solicitors Helpline on 020 3114 1124.