An Alzheimer’s Society investigation has revealed a 27% rise in people with dementia being rushed into hospital due to inadequate social care in a four-year period beginning in 2015 for which NHS data from across the UK has been made available to the charity.

The organisation has also revealed that an estimated more than 10,000 people in Cornwall are living with dementia, as are more than 92,000 people across the wider South West.

The findings, compiled from the responses of 45 NHS trusts across England, Wales and Northern Ireland following a freedom of information (FOI) request for data from the period 2015-19, were released last week to mark Dementia Action Week, running from May 17-23. The figures show that even before the COVID-19 pandemic tens of thousands were admitted to hospital because poor care left them unprotected from infections, falls and dehydration.

A spokesperson for the charity said: "This news comes just under a week after the Queen’s Speech frustratingly made only a brief mention of the Prime Minister’s promise nearly two years ago to deliver a clear plan for social care reform, a devastating blow for people living with dementia, worst hit by coronavirus.”

During Dementia Action Week, running up until yesterday (Sunday), the Alzheimer’s Society released a hard-hitting TV ad (it can be viewed at www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6rk88V-TvM) calling on the Government to ‘cure the care system’. Supported by billboard advertising, the heart-wrenching advert exposes the stark reality of being a dementia carer without adequate support.

In a supporting survey of unpaid dementia carers, almost half (48%) reported that they had performed tasks they felt unqualified to carry out because of a lack of support, and as a result, they reported three-quarters (72%) of people with dementia having medical issues at home.

And in an Alzheimer’s Society UK-wide survey by YouGov, it was revealed that for people in the South West social care ranks second behind the NHS and ahead of policing, schools and housing, as a priority for Government funding. Accessing good quality care in the future is also a huge concern for many. In the South West 69% of people said it was something they worried about.

One example given by the Alzheimers Society of someone in Cornwall caring for a relative with dementia is Kay Girling, 57, from Redruth, who says her life has been a constant struggle since she started caring for her mother with vascular dementia in March 2020.

“This is a very lonely existence,” said Kay. “I’ve given up work as a lorry driver to care for mum and now rarely communicate with other people. It is my first experience of being a carer and it doesn’t come naturally to me. I was brought up to have great respect for my parents, but I feel such a failure at times. I feel inadequate, incompetent and that I lack enough knowledge.”

There are 850,000 people in the UK living with dementia, including more than an estimated 92,000 people in the South West including more than 10,000 people in Cornwall. The national figure is set to reach two million by 2051.

The Alzheimer’s Society says that with interruptions to routine health and care services, and isolation enforced by lockdown, people with dementia have seen massive health deterioration over the pandemic, and with spending cuts biting, the charity warns it expects hospital admissions to increase sharply, costing the NHS millions, unless drastic action is taken to improve dementia care.

During Dementia Action Week the Alzheimer’s Society has been urging the Government “to rebuild the broken social care system, so that people with dementia get high quality, accessible social care, free at the point of use, like the NHS - because dementia isn’t curable yet, but the care system is”. Members of the public can visit alzheimers.org.uk/DAW to join #CureTheCareSystem campaign, running until June.

Derek Dodd, Alzheimer’s Society Area Manager said: “Lockdown has left people with dementia in Cornwall cut off from vital support and care. Interrupted routines, loneliness and isolation have contributed to rapid symptom progression, meaning there’s now more people than ever fighting for scarce dementia care. Without urgent action, avoidable hospital admissions will skyrocket, costing the NHS millions.

“The legacy of this terrible year must be a reformed social care system, which is free at the point of use and put on an equal footing with the NHS. We need a system that gives every person with dementia the support they deserve and so desperately need.”

For information, advice and support with dementia call Alzheimer’s Society Dementia Connect support line on 0333 150 345 or visit the website https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/dementiaconnect