Three Admiral nurses, the first in the region, will work in Kirklees providing specialist skilled support to carers and families of people living with the condition, as well as advice and information to other staff working in the field.

Around 700,000 people have dementia nationally but numbers are expected to double within a generation.

Health chiefs say the appointments are a landmark and the three will be ambassadors for organisations involved in the initiative including South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, the national charity for dementia, Kirklees Council and NHS Kirklees.

Trust chief executive Steven Michael said: "The trust sees first hand the impact dementia has in the community and recognises the important contribution that Admiral nurses make in helping individuals and their families understand and cope with the challenges presented by dementia.

"The help and advice these Admiral nurses will provide will be an invaluable addition to the support already available."

Suzanne Wightman, senior manager of practice development at the trust, said: "Our aim is to enable carers and individuals living with dementia to experience improved quality of life and wellbeing wherever possible through supportive education, partnership working and support to minimise stress and burden."

Admiral nurses are registered community mental health nurses specialising in dementia care and work with patients, their families and carers, alongside NHS and other professions. They are named after former dementia patient Joseph Levy in the 1980s who was known as Admiral Joe because of his love of yachting.