Welsh government announces extra primary care nurses in bid to improve dementia care

New primary care nursing posts are to be funded as part of a £1 million plan to improve care of people with dementia in Wales, the assembly government announced today.

Health minister Mark Drakeford

Four additional primary care link nurses will provide support and training to staff at 675 residential and nursing homes.

Training will focus on how to identify dementia, provide post-diagnosis support and link up with GP services. The nurses will also advise on how to make buildings more 'dementia-friendly'.

Funding for 32 new primary care support workers who will offer face-to-face support and information to people with dementia has also been announced.

The plan aims to improve the diagnosis rate by 2016, and GP surgeries are being encouraged to take up government-funded dementia training.

Health minister Mark Drakeford estimated the number of people in Wales with dementia was likely to increase by a third over the next six years.

‘All those who work in our health service will need to become more aware of the disease and know what care, advice and support they can offer to improve people’s lives,’ he said.