Agenda item

Cabinet approves the system wide Isle of Wight Dementia Strategy, enabling the strategy to progress for approval by the Integrated Care Partnership.

The strategy was the result of ongoing consultation over many months with colleagues and partners from the health and independent sectors. If approved, it would be underpinned with an action plan to ensure the strategy was workable for the future.

It was noted that the strategy focused on family and unpaid carers and the lack of adequate respite care. Clarification was given that steps were being taken to recruit and train professionals to specialise in dementia. It was recognised that nationally there was a challenge to recruit and retain staff in this area, and it was hoped to commission expert training in dementia care.

More emphasis was to be put into prevention to enable more people to live happy, healthy lives.

It was agreed that this was needed now for the island’s ageing population and it was good to see that more respite care was planned. Thanks was expressed for the work in preparing the strategy.