Emergency hospital admissions for people with dementia up by 42 PER CENT in Dacorum, shocking figures reveal

The number of cases in Dacorum admitted to hospital as emergencies has risen by a whopping 42 per cent in five years, with some pensioners left to endure stays of up to a year, official figures show.

The Alzheimer’s Society said the “collapsing social care system” meant vulnerable patients who should have received help at home were instead being admitted to hospital in a crisis.

There were 7,565 emergency admissions of people with dementia in Hertfordshire in 2017/18, an increase of 33 per cent in just five years.

Dacorum's figure of 915 cases was only topped in the county by North Hertfordshire, which had 1,080 admissions.

Across England, the latest statistics show there were 379,000 emergency admissions, up by almost 100,000.

Alzheimer’s Society’s chief executive Jeremy Hughes warned that this is “the stark reality of many people with dementia left to fall through the cracks in our broken social care system”, as people with dementia fall prey to avoidable emergencies like falls, dehydration and infections because of scarce, inadequate and costly social care.

He said: "People with dementia are all too often being dumped in hospital and left there for long stays. Many are only admitted because there’s no social care support to keep them safe at home.

"They are commonly spending more than twice as long in hospital as needed, confused and scared. This costs the NHS millions of pounds for the want of properly funded social care.

“The estimated 850,000 people with dementia and their families across the UK heard the Prime Minister’s promise to fix social care. They expect action.”

Alzheimer’s Society is demanding £billion per year allocated in the spring budget, and for cross-party talks so agreements can be reached for free universal care, funded like schools and the NHS to give people with dementia the dignity, security and fundamental care.

Alzheimer’s Society champions the rights of everyone affected by dementia and is calling on its supporters to sign up to its Fix Dementia Care campaign by visiting alzheimers.org.uk/fix