Tracey has welcomed new draft guidelines on care for people with dementia from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). The guidelines will provide quality standards on care for people with dementia, ensuring that patients and their families can expect a high standard of care across England.

The proposals call for people living with dementia and their carers to have contact with a local healthcare professional to provide information about dementia and support patients in making choices about their care needs. Planning of care for people with dementia is essential to ensure they live in better help for longer with the necessary support to adapt to changing needs and reduce the likelihood of dementia-related accidents.

Tracey, the Vice-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Dementia, said: “It is possible for dementia patients to live well with a good standard of life for a long time, however there is no one-size-fits-allapproach to dementia care because the condition progresses at different speeds and with different consequences for each patient. These draft guidelines recognise the need to base care for patients around each individual and emphasise the need for patients and their families to be actively involved in planning their care with healthcare professionals, which is a very positive step.”

In the UK, only 40% of people with dementia are ever diagnosed, with diagnosis rates varying significantly across the country. Last month the APPG Dementia released Unlocking Dementia, its report into improving diagnosis levels among those with dementia.