Charity Calls for National Blueprint to Ensure Care Sector Is “Ready for the Cure”
Alzheimer’s Research UK has published a new report urging the Government to set out a clear national strategy for dementia research, warning that without urgent reform to clinical trials and NHS adoption pathways, people living with dementia risk missing out on the next generation of treatments.
The report, Ready for the Cure: A blueprint for UK leadership in dementia research, was published on 30 July and sets out the charity’s assessment of what is needed to build on recent scientific progress and secure the UK’s position as a world leader in dementia research.
Almost one million people in the UK are currently living with dementia, a figure the charity expects to rise in the coming years. Dementia remains the leading cause of death in the UK, and the report notes that, for the first time, treatments capable of slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease have been licensed for use in the UK, although they are not yet available on the NHS — a gap with direct relevance for care providers supporting residents living with the condition.
Progress alongside persistent barriers
The charity points to a decade of accelerating scientific advances, crediting increased investment, researcher dedication and closer collaboration between government, charities and industry — including through the government’s Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals Programme, chaired by Alzheimer’s Research UK Chief Executive Hilary Evans-Newton CBE — with bringing dementia research to what it describes as a pivotal moment.
However, the report identifies three significant obstacles still preventing discoveries from reaching patients quickly enough: a lack of joined-up national leadership on dementia; a clinical trials system not yet equipped for the next generation of dementia studies; and an NHS that faces real difficulty adopting new tests and treatments at pace. The charity also acknowledges that too many people continue to face lengthy waits for a diagnosis, and that research funding has not yet caught up with the scale of the challenge.
Three recommendations for government
To address these gaps, the report calls on the Government to take three key actions:
• Set a clear national ambition for dementia research, bringing diagnosis, research, clinical trials and regulation together under a single, joined-up strategy.
• Build a “trial-ready” UK, so that people are identified, invited and matched to suitable dementia trials more quickly, regardless of where they live.
• Help the NHS test and adopt breakthroughs faster, through coordinated pilot sites that gather real-world evidence on how new tests and treatments perform in everyday care settings.
The charity argues these steps are ambitious but achievable, and would help attract investment, support innovation and ensure new treatments reach people as soon as possible.
A shared responsibility
Alzheimer’s Research UK stresses that delivering this vision will require sustained commitment from government, researchers, industry, charities and the public alike, with long-term investment from government seen as essential to maintaining momentum. The organisation has said it will continue to campaign for the changes set out in the report and to keep dementia high on the political agenda.
