Politicians to debate the future of dementia care

A cross-party debate on the future of dementia care will take place at the Fourth Plymouth Dementia Conference on Friday (February 6).

Plymouth Sutton and Devonport MP Oliver Colvile (Conservative) and parliamentary candidates Luke Pollard (Labour), Ben Osborn (Green), and Penny Mills (UKIP) will take to the stage for a discussion about the political influence on health and social care policy.

They will be joined for the debate by Alzheimer’s Society ambassadors Angela Rippon and Dr Trevor Jarvis, and World Dementia Council member Hilary Doxford.

Organised by Plymouth University in partnership with Plymouth City Council – and sponsored by Plymouth Citybus, Vospers and Plymouth Community Homes – the theme of the 2015 conference is Dementia, the Challenges and Inspirational Solutions.

It will bring together health and social care professionals, people with dementia and their carers, politicians, and international and national speakers to speak about their life and work.

It will also showcase the cutting edge dementia research taking place at Plymouth University, which has recently been awarded more than £1million to fund dementia research from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Prime Minister’s Defeat Dementia campaign.

Ian Sherriff is the Academic Partnership Lead for Dementia at Plymouth University and Chair of the Prime Minister’s Rural Dementia Task Force. He is supported by the National Institute for Health Research Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care South West Peninsula (NIHR PenCLAHRC).

Mr Sherriff said: “Dementia is at the forefront of both regional and national agendas, as political leaders realise the increasing impact it is having on individuals, their families and communities. Tackling the health and social care aspects of dementia is fast becoming one of the major challenges facing our healthcare system, and establishing ways to do that is a major challenge which transcends party politics. I am sure this debate will be a fascinating addition to the conference, complimenting a programme which demonstrates why our city is at the forefront of dementia research and care.”

As well as sharing current best practice, the conference will aim to pose questions for the future of dementia care and suggest that working together in partnership is the only way to bring about positive change and have a lasting impact on policy and practice.

There will be speeches and interviews, and a series of workshops showcasing the dementia related research taking place within Plymouth University’s Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, the Faculty of Health and Human Sciences and the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.

Updates on national dementia research will be provided by Alistair Burns, NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Dementia, and Colin Capper, Head of Research Development and Evaluation at the Alzheimer’s Society, with further demonstrations of new and innovative care programmes being pioneered in Plymouth and the surrounding areas.

The conference will be held at the Plymouth Guildhall on Friday 06 February 2015 and for more information, visit the Plymouth University website, email events@plymouth.ac.uk or call 01752 588946.