Dementia campaigners to petition council over review

CAMPAIGNERS aiming to preserve care services for Alzheimer’s disease sufferers across vast tracts of North Yorkshire will petition politicians today as they intensify their protest.

A petition calling for a planned overhaul of day care services across Hambleton and Richmondshire to be halted is due to be handed in to County Hall.

Campaigners from Stokesley who have collected more than 1,000 signatures and are urging the commissioning bodies, North Yorkshire County Council and NHS North Yorkshire and York, along with the Alzheimer’s Society to think again about the proposed changes to provision.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The campaign’s co-ordinator, Jan Carter, said concerns had escalated after the Alzheimer’s Society sent out a letter which revealed it was planning to provide services “in different ways”.

She added: “The letter talks about giving people with dementia informed choices on how they spend their time, but sadly many of those men and women cannot make informed choices of their own and need people who are looking after them and who care about their wellbeing to do it for them.”

The review is being conducted amid growing pressure on services as the county’s population slants towards an ageing population. It is predicted that the over-65s will represent a quarter of North Yorkshire’s population by 2020.

Campaigners have, however, raised concerns that Alzheimer’s sufferers would become increasingly isolated as the overhaul could lead to more support being provided in patients’ homes.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Health chiefs have confirmed that the review is being carried out to ensure the service takes into account the individual needs of patients as well as their carers. It is also looking to ensure services are delivered in a “sustainable way”.

NHS North Yorkshire and York’s deputy chief executive Sue Metcalfe maintained the review was aimed at maximising the available resources and is not a cost-cutting exercise.

She added: “We are at an early stage of our review which we recognise will be a difficult process. We are looking to take it forward in a way that causes the least anxiety to the people involved.”

A consultation is being carried out to outline the plans and gain feedback on the proposals.