Staff, volunteers, carers and patients are outraged by the NICE decision not to give anti-dementia drugs to people with dementia.
The National Institute for Clinical Excellence has refused to listen to the Alzheimer's Society and thousands of people with dementia and their carers and sanction the use of these drugs that have and do help many people.
Patrick Nethercot, Chairman of the Durham and Chester-le-Street of the Alzheimer's Society said,
"I was shocked, appalled and saddened when I heard this news. NICE is in effect saying that quality of life for people with dementia is not worth £2.50 a day. People will now have to wait until their condition worsens, in many cases much earlier than it would have done with the medication, before they can access treatment. This is a callous and mercenary attitude to healthcare. The NHS does not belong to these so called experts and least of all to politicians - it is our NHS, each and every one of us. We need to make our voices heard yet again by writing, phoning and faxing Members of Parliament and NICE [see below].
Mr Nethercot wondered what would happen to the money saved.
"One effect of this nasty decision by NICE will be to reduce moves to early diagnosis of dementia. Those who commission health services will have no incentive to invest in early diagnosis programmes - government policy - as there will now be no treatment available. I somehow doubt that savings made this way will be used to fund better psychological and social support services for people with dementia. This money should be ringfenced so carers will be able to see how NHS Trusts are spending the money that would have helped their loved one."
Ken Clasper of Chester-le-Street, who has Lewy Body dementia, said,
"I find it incredible, that any so called democratic Government can set up a committee, just to reduce medical costs on the NHS by refusing to treat patients. We spend millions treating drug addicts, alcohol addicts and many other self inflicted disorders and yet when it comes to things which are not self inflicted or untreatable, we turn our backs on them.
"Since I have been on this medication I have managed to regain some control of my life again, and it is very obvious that this medication must work for many other people if they were given the chance. Are as a society going to sit back and wait for the inevitable to happen where we have millions of people in this country who have dementia before we do anything about it. There are now thousands of people with this disease now, which is a horrible way to exist and a horrible death, how can we say we are a caring nation, with a government like this."
Contact NICE:
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence
MidCity Place
71 High Holborn
London
WC1V 6NA
Telephone: 020 7067 5800
Fax: 020 7067 5801
Email: nice@nice.org.uk