Making the NHS 10-year Health Plan for England deliver for dementia

September 16, 2025

Helping the needy — image: ©Pharrel Wiliams | iStock

Around one million people in the UK are living with dementia, a complex and terminal neurological condition that has no cure. The recently published NHS 10-Year Health Plan for England provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform dementia care.

Dementia UK’s Campaigns Manager, Beth Clayton-Exworth, sets out the clear steps the UK Government must take to deliver clear outcomes, accountability, and specialist expertise at every stage

Dementia is the defining health and social care challenge of our time and the leading cause of death in the UK ^[i]. Around one million people are living with dementia in the UK, and this number is set to rise to 1.4 million by 2040 ^[ii].

Yet despite this scale, too many families are left feeling exhausted, overwhelmed and alone. Dementia care is often fragmented, or non-existent from the point of diagnosis, and effective co-ordination or touchpoints only re-emerge at crisis points, placing more strain on acute and emergency care and leading to worse outcomes for people living with dementia.

The consequences are stark: up to one in four hospital beds are occupied by a person with dementia, hospital readmission rates are nearly 50% higher than the general population, and most people with dementia also live with at least one other long-term condition^[ii]. Without a shift in approach, these pressures will only intensify.

That is why the NHS 10-Year Health Plan for England, and the development of a new Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia, represent a crucial opportunity to fix dementia care. If it is designed with people living with dementia and their carers at its heart, the Framework could represent the step change that families and health professionals have been waiting for.

Getting the Modern Service Framework right

The ambition to develop the first ever Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia represents real hope for families affected by dementia. But to move beyond aspiration, it must set out clear, measurable outcomes with accountability at a local and national level. Dementia UK recommends that the Framework must include:

Recognition that dementia is a complex neurological condition requiring specialist knowledge, alongside efforts to reduce stigma and shift away from dehumanising narratives.
Shared ownership and leadership of dementia care across health and care disciplines, supported by adaptable pathways that prevent avoidable crises.
Timely and meaningful diagnosis that reduces waiting times, empowers carers, and connects families with specialist support.
Through-life support for both the person with dementia and their carer, spanning early diagnosis, post-diagnostic help, social care, and end-of-life planning.

Equity of access to specialist dementia care, regardless of geography, background, or socioeconomic status. This includes people with young onset dementia, where symptoms develop under the age of 65, who fall outside a frailty definition.

In short, the Framework must not only set out aspirations but also embed milestones, funding mechanisms, and evaluation tools that drive delivery rather than chase it.

The role of neighbourhood health teams

The Plan’s proposed neighbourhood health teams could also be pivotal in delivering joined-up care close to home. For those living with dementia, this could mean earlier interventions, smoother transitions between care settings, and less reliance on acute services.

But this potential will only be realised if dementia expertise is embedded at every level. Teams must include professionals with specialist knowledge of dementia, clear escalation routes for complex cases, and the ability to support carers as well as the person with the diagnosis. National guidance will be critical to reduce the inequalities of dementia care, ensuring consistent outcomes regardless of geography or background.

Dementia specialist nurses are part of the solution

For the 10-Year Health Plan to succeed, integrated care must be built around real expertise in dementia. That means ensuring multi-disciplinary teams are equipped with specialist knowledge, clear escalation routes, and carer support throughout the pathway, alongside robust national guidance and data to track outcomes.

Specialist dementia nurses, including Dementia UK’s Admiral Nurses, are already delivering this kind of care. They provide people with dementia and their carers with tailored clinical expertise, emotional support, and practical strategies to navigate the complexities of the condition. By coordinating across health and social care, Admiral Nurses help to prevent avoidable crises, reduce hospital admissions, and ease pressure on overstretched NHS services.

Integrating specialist dementia nursing into every neighbourhood health team across England could have a profound impact on thousands of families affected by dementia and be a significant step towards ensuring no family faces dementia alone, while strengthening the sustainability of the NHS.

An opportunity we cannot waste

The 10-Year Health Plan sets the stage for transformation, and the Modern Service Framework has the potential to be the vehicle that delivers it. But for people living with dementia and their carers, the real test will be in the detail: whether promises on integrated care, timely diagnosis, and equity of access are translated into measurable change.

With the right leadership, accountability, and investment, the NHS can seize this moment to ease system pressures and deliver the care and support that families affected by dementia urgently need and deserve.

As the leading clinical support charity for people living with dementia, Dementia UK stands ready to work with the Government, NHS England, and local health and social care systems to ensure this Framework does not become another missed opportunity. By embedding dementia expertise, and by making Admiral Nurses available in every community, we can turn cautious optimism into meaningful change.

Above all, we must deliver this change now. Dementia is a progressive condition, and families do not have time to wait.