This House of Lords Library Briefing provides information to mark World Alzheimer's Day on 21 September 2019.
World Alzheimer's Day (189 KB , PDF)
World Alzheimer’s Day takes place on 21 September each year. Promoted by Alzheimer’s Disease International, the aim of the day is to raise awareness and challenge the stigma that surrounds dementia. The theme of the campaign this year, ‘Let’s Talk About Dementia: End the Stigma’, focuses on attitudes towards the disease.
This briefing provides information on: the causes of Alzheimer’s disease; its relationship with dementia; attitudes towards dementia; government policy; and statistics on the scale and cost of Alzheimer’s.
World Alzheimer's Day (189 KB , PDF)
While handling record demand, the social care sector in England is facing workforce, resource and funding pressures. There are also millions of people providing unpaid care. The new Labour government has announced an intention to create a ‘National Care Service’, and to improve NHS and social care integration as part of a 10-year plan for reform.
Between 1970 and the early 1990s, over 30,000 NHS patients were given blood transfusions, or treatments made using blood products, which were contaminated with hepatitis C or HIV. Over 3,000 people have since died, and thousands more live with health conditions. The infected blood inquiry called for immediate compensation, public memorials, and for lessons to be learned in medicine, government and the civil service. In August 2024 the government set out plans for compensation.
Vaginal mesh implants are used to repair damaged internal tissue. However, many women receiving these implants have experienced severe complications. In 2020, an independent review recommended establishing a compensation scheme for the women affected. The Conservative government rejected this recommendation, saying its focus would be on improving product safety. However, calls for redress have continued, with a subsequent review in 2024 also recommending the establishment of a compensation scheme.
