Introduction
On 31 May 2023, Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport, Maree Todd, launched Scotland's fourth national dementia strategy "Everyone's Story", which will run between 2023 and 2033.
The strategy was developed through extensive consultation with stakeholders, including people with lived experience of dementia, carers and third sector organisations including Alzheimer Scotland.
Outline of strategy
The strategy outlines the following vision:
- Dementia is recognised in public health and in practice as disease of the brain that affects a person’s whole life and those close to them. Diagnosis can bring significant mental health and wellbeing challenges that need to be acknowledged and addressed to ensure a person’s rights are upheld.
- Policy makers, support and service providers, communities and society all have an understanding of dementia, including the importance of prevention and early detection, and are inclusive of people living with dementia, able to engage and respond confidently and appropriately, creating environments that enable people to live well with dementia.
- People living with dementia and their care partners/unpaid carers have equity of access to high quality, information and advice, evidence-based treatment, care and support when and where they need it, including dementia-specific palliative care, and have access to practitioners with appropriate dementia care knowledge and skills.
- The human rights of people living with dementia and their care partners are upheld throughout their dementia journey.
- People are supported by a skilled and knowledgeable workforce that accesses the highest quality dementia specialist education and training and implements evidence-based, including trauma-informed, practice.
To oversee delivery, the strategy will develop rolling 2-year delivery plans, with the first delivery plan to be developed and agreed in 2023, for implementation in 2024-25.
Further information
Further information on dementia strategy can be found at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/new-dementia-strategy-scotland-everyones-story/
The national dementia strategy can be downloaded below, alongside the strategies from 2010, 2013 and 2017.