ALLIANCE response to the Dementia Strategy consultation

The response sets out key recommendations to address challenges and build on existing good practice.

The ALLIANCE has submitted a response to the Scottish Government’s consultation on a new Dementia Strategy for Scotland (this link will take you away from our website).

In September 2022 the Scottish Government launched a ‘national conversation’ to inform the future of dementia policy in Scotland (this link will take you away from our website).

The ALLIANCE welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Scottish Government’s consultation. Our response draws on research and evidence from across ALLIANCE activity, including our Carer Voices Programme, learning from our Community Links Worker Programme, the Self Management Fund, our Humans of Scotland series, and previous engagement activity with our members and partners.

The ALLIANCE welcomes the approach taken to this consultation based on a ‘national conversation’ and targeted at everyone with an interest in dementia and understanding more about dementia, people living with dementia, and those providing care and support. We believe it is important that people with lived and living experience are meaningfully involved in designing a strategy which meets the rights and needs of those impacted by a dementia diagnosis.

Our response outlines key recommendations to address challenges and to build on existing good practice. Some of our key recommendations are summarised below:

• Explicitly embed a human rights based approach within the new Dementia Strategy to align with internationally recognised human rights standards and treaties.
• Ensure that people are fully supported to approach discussions around anticipatory care planning by adopting a person centred and trauma informed approach.
• Engage with people living with dementia, families, unpaid carers, and the third sector to embed co-production throughout the development, delivery and evaluation of the new Dementia Strategy.
• Embed the expertise of Community Links Practitioners as part of a wider suite of community resources in the delivery of dementia services and support across all local authorities in Scotland.
• Ensure sustainable funding and investment in creative, arts based therapies, which have a direct positive impact on the quality of life of people with dementia, their families and unpaid carers.
• Outline actions taken to increase dementia diagnosis rates to mitigate the impact from disruption to dementia diagnosis service during COVID-19, and ensure that everyone has access to as early a diagnosis as possible.
• Ensure sustainable, adequate, and long term funding for third sector and community organisations providing vital support to people living with dementia, their families and unpaid carers.
• Adopt an explicitly intersectional approach to the new Dementia Strategy which considers the rights and needs of specific population groups, including (but not limited to) people with learning disabilities, and people living with sensory loss.
• Consider and address the ongoing impacts of COVID-19, taking a trauma informed approach to supporting those who continue to be impacted disproportionately, including people living with dementia, their families, and unpaid carers.

Read the full response via the links below.

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