Andy Burnham urged to set dementia waiting-time target

Prime Minister Andy Burnham is facing calls to set a national waiting-time target for dementia care in England.

An Alzheimer's Society proposal to set an 18‑week referral‑to‑treatment target has been backed by Professor Sir Mike Richards, England's former national cancer director, and Baroness Louise Casey, who's leading a major review of adult social care.

In a report, Alzheimer's Society and the King's Trust said a "cancer-style revolution" was needed to improve dementia care, which they described as being "stuck in the 20th century".

In a speech at Alzheimer's Society conference on Thursday, Social Care Minister Alison McGovern expressed support for the report , external .

She said: "The report that the Alzheimer's Society published today on going on the journey that we've been on with cancer, with Alzheimer's and dementia, I think that's spot on."

The minister said dementia had been "neglected for far too long".

She added: "And nowhere is this division between health and social care felt more sharply than by people living with dementia in their families, too often left to navigate a shattered system at the most difficult time in their lives."

The government has committed to appointing a top official to oversee dementia care and publish a new plan - a modern service framework - to speed up support for those with the disease by the end of the year.