Improving dementia care 2010

Guest of Honour: Professor Alistair Burns, National Clinical Director for Dementia, Department of Health

Following on from the launch of the National Dementia Strategy last year, the recent appointment of the first National Clinical Director for Dementia, and with the coalition programme for government stating its intention to "prioritise dementia research within the health research and development budget", this seminar will examine the future of dementia care. This seminar will also examine how effective the strategy has been at improving the early detection of dementia, delivery of dementia services, and patient and family experience. Planned sessions also look at what more can be done to increase early diagnosis and increase the quality of dementia care on a residential, inpatient and societal level. Further sessions will examine the research and development of treatment for Alzheimer`s and what more can be done to encourage relevant research.

We are delighted to be able to include in this seminar keynote presentations from Professor Alistair Burns, National Clinical Director for Dementia, Department of Health; Adelina Comas-Herrera, Research Fellow, Personal Social Services Research Unit and London School of Economics; Professor Murna Downs, Chair, Dementia Studies and Head of Bradford Dementia Group, University of Bradford; and Karen Taylor, Director, Health Value for Money Audit, National Audit Office. Further senior speakers are being approached.

At this early stage, Dean Cowley, Service Development Director, Bupa Care Services; Karen Harrison, Consultant Admiral Nurse; Philip Hurst, National Development Manager, Health, Age UK; Dr Ioannis Liakas, Consultant Physician in General and Geriatric Medicine, Memory Service, Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; Jenny Owen, Executive Director, Adults, Health and Community Wellbeing, Essex County Council; Emma Stone, Co-Director, Policy & Research, Joseph Rowntree Foundation; Jean Tottie, Chair, Uniting Carers, Dementia UK and former carer; Neil Waterhouse, Service Director, Older People`s Mental Health, Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Rebecca Wood, Chief Executive, Alzheimer`s Research Trust have also kindly agreed to speak. Further senior speakers are being approached.

Professor Sube Banerjee, Professor of Mental Health and Ageing, Institute of Psychiatry, King`s College London and Jeremy Wright MP have kindly agreed to chair this seminar.