'We must end postcode lottery dementia care'

A man who cared for his elderly stepmother is calling for an end to what he calls a "postcode lottery" of dementia support services.

Howie Blanks, from Sussex, cared for his stepmother for five years with the help of staff but said there was a lack of support when it came to her worsening dementia.

Howie is now a voluntary ambassador for Dementia UK and contacted the BBC via Your Voice.

He wanted to know how politicians in the county would improve the lives of those living with, or supporting those, with dementia. We put his question to the main parties in West Sussex.

Howie said families were "exhausted, frightened and trying to navigate dementia alone".

"People are left to fight for assessments, repeat their story to different services, face impossible delays and make decisions without expert guidance," he added.

"Some areas have excellent post-dementia care who guide families through crisis, help them plan and prevent avoidable breakdowns.

"Sussex deserves the same dementia services that other counties have and no family in Sussex should face dementia alone."

Catherine Ross is standing for the Green Party in Broadbridge.

She said: "We can't underestimate the value of unpaid carers.

"The work that they do is absolutely essential to the people that they're looking after but also to the services that the local authority provides, because they take a lot of the responsibility themselves.

"The key thing for carers in the home is making sure that they have the information and support that they need, that they're able to get training if they need it and, crucially, that they're able to get some respite."

Martin McCabe is Labour's candidate in West Worthing.

He said: "Carers are propping up our entire economic system. It's really vital that we give a holistic support system, and mental health support is absolutely crucial.

"We've seen that decimated over years and it's absolutely right that we make sure that we allocate the maximum funding we possibly can."

Standing for the Liberal Democrats in Littlehampton East is James Walsh.

He told the BBC that respite care was the most important service dementia carers needed.

"We want to introduce much earlier intervention, because early intervention makes a real difference getting people into general support measures, and equally important are the support measures for the family to make sure that they're not forgotten," he added.

Amanda Jupp is standing for the Conservatives in Billingshurst.

She said of dementia carers: "We need to make sure we bring them in and support them and look after them.

"They do a wonderful job; they look after those loved ones and they keep them safe and they keep them in their own homes for as long as possible.

"It's a very isolating situation. It can be lonely; it can be really, really sad and difficult. So, we need to keep in touch with those people who support, we need to reach out to those groups in the community who support them."

Reform UK said it was still trying to develop its social care plan for England but pointed the BBC to its manifestos in Scotland and Wales.

In Scotland, Reform said it would "immediately improve things" for carers "by removing the stark cliff edge they face for the removal of the carer support payment and tapering its removal".

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