Dementia patients being 'dumped in hospital'

Dementia patients are being dumped in hospitals in England because of a lack of community care, a charity says.

The Alzheimer's Society called for action, highlighting data showing one in 10 dementia patients spends over a month in hospital after being admitted.

The figures also suggested the overall number of emergency admissions among people with dementia is rising - with some patients yo-yoing back and forth.

Ministers said they were "determined" to tackle the problems. Central to this, the government said, would be plans for reforming the social care system, which encompasses care home places and support in people's homes.

Alzheimer's Society Chief Executive Jeremy Hughes said people were falling through the "cracks of our broken social care system".

"People with dementia are all too often being dumped in hospital and left there. Many are only admitted because there's no social care support to keep them safe at home. They are commonly spending more than twice as long in hospital as needed, confused and scared."

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Source: BBC News, 22 January 2020