Andy Burnham has backed the Daily Mail’s Defeating Dementia campaign as he pledged to ‘throw the weight of government’ behind the effort in memory of his father.
The Prime Minister will on Friday make dementia research a national priority and unveil a £48million partnership to accelerate the search for a cure.
Writing in Friday’s Daily Mail, he says he wants to make the UK the ‘leading nation in dementia research’ and tells how he has been spurred on by the death of his dad Roy to Alzheimer’s last month.
He says he will boost clinical trials for promising new medicines and get them to patients faster, stressing: ‘This is personal for me.’
Mr Burnham says watching his father’s battle with dementia showed him the system ‘simply doesn’t work’ for those who give and need care.
‘Ever since I was health secretary under the last Labour government, I’ve wanted to change this,’ he adds.
‘Now I’m Prime Minister, it’s a personal mission I’m determined to see through.’
The Daily Mail and Alzheimer’s Society have partnered in a bid to defeat dementia, which claims 76,000 lives a year as Britain’s biggest killer.
Andy Burnham has backed the Daily Mail’s Defeating Dementia campaign as he pledged to ‘throw the weight of government’ behind the effort in memory of his father, Roy (right)
The Defeating Dementia campaign aims to raise awareness of the disease, increase early diagnosis, boost research and improve care.
Mr Burnham writes: ‘I know how it feels to lose a loved one to dementia.
‘That’s why I’m pleased to support the Daily Mail and Alzheimer’s Society’s Defeating Dementia campaign.’
The Government will invest £33million alongside funding from Bristol Myers Squibb, GSK and Gates Ventures to help recruit more people for clinical studies.
The money will support the Barbara Alliance, launched in memory of the late EastEnders actress Barbara Windsor, to speed up the development of treatments.
It will establish a platform connecting health data, research and clinical trial capabilities to make it easier to find participants for trials.
Speaking ahead of Friday’s Innovation Nation Summit in Manchester, Mr Burnham said: ‘Dementia is a devastatingly cruel disease, not only for those who live with it, but for the families who care for them.
‘For too long, we have accepted dementia as something to be managed later in life, rather than a disease we can defeat. I don’t accept that.
‘In fact, I have real hope we can come together and do exactly that. I want Britain to be the country that makes the breakthrough and delivers the cure for dementia the world has been waiting for.
‘That is why I’m making dementia research a national priority.
‘This investment goes hand in hand with our plans for a National Care Service, helping ensure that people living with dementia get the care and support they need, and giving families peace of mind their loved ones will be cared for.’
Dementia will also be made one of the top priorities of the new Health Data Research Service, backed by up to £600million from the Government and Wellcome Trust.
The service will bring together NHS and research data in one system to help scientists identify suitable patients.
Dame Barbara’s widower Scott Mitchell said: ‘I was with Barbara when we went to meet then-prime minister Boris Johnson.
‘She said to him, ‘Come on, darling, you’ve got to do something about… this dementia business. There’s not enough money for it.’
‘For me, this means Barbara won’t just be remembered for her bra flying off in Carry On Camping, she’s got a second legacy.’
The move was hailed as ‘a significant moment’ by Alzheimer’s Society, and Health Secretary Yvette Cooper said it ‘will help us turn the tide on dementia’.
Michelle Dyson, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Society, said: ‘This is a significant moment for dementia research and we welcome the Prime Minister’s ambition for the UK to lead the world in discovering new treatments to beat dementia.
‘This substantial investment in The BARBARA Alliance is fantastic news and a major vote of confidence in its vital work.
‘By bringing together government, industry, researchers and the NHS, the Alliance is providing the kind of coordinated, ambitious approach that dementia research urgently needs, helping remove barriers to clinical trials and accelerate progress towards new treatments.
‘We’re incredibly proud to work alongside the Alliance and share its determination to transform the future for everyone affected by dementia.
‘The Prime Minister is right to reject the idea that dementia is simply an inevitable part of ageing.
‘With sustained investment, earlier diagnosis and a determination to make research accessible to everyone, we have a real opportunity to create the change that’s so desperately needed.’
Kaivan Khavandi, Head of R&D Translational & Development Sciences at pharmaceutical firm GSK, said: ‘Our partnership in The BARBARA Alliance is a crucial step to advance research into dementia.
‘By working together with the UK government and other partners, we aim to create a more dynamic and agile way to accelerate scientific trials.
‘We’re proud to be a founding member and believe the partnership will help bring much-needed innovation to patients faster.’
Everyone experiences dementia differently. Use this checklist to help you make a note of your symptoms before you talk to your GP.
Watching my dad’s battle means this is personal for me – we WILL fix it
By Andy Burnham, Prime Minister
Last month, my dad Roy died. He had been living with dementia for some time.
He never knew his son had become Prime Minister, but the staff at his care home put a television in front of his chair so he could watch me arrive in Downing Street.
I know how it feels to lose a loved one to dementia. That’s why I’m pleased to support the Daily Mail and Alzheimer’s Society’s Defeating Dementia campaign.
We’ll throw the weight of government behind that effort. Today, I am announcing a £48million partnership to support the Barbara Alliance – named after the late Dame Barbara Windsor – which brings together government, industry, researchers, charities and people with lived experience to overcome the barriers holding back the study of dementia.
I want Britain to be the leading nation in dementia research, making the breakthroughs that change people’s lives.
So I’m also pleased the Health Data Research Service – the government body that manages access to NHS data for the life sciences sector – will make dementia a priority, to boost clinical trials and deliver new drugs to patients faster.
Andy Burnham hugs his parents Eileen and Roy after he was selected as the Labour candidate who will fight to become the Mayor of Greater Manchester in 2016
My dad’s carers were amazing. But watching him battle with his condition showed me the system simply doesn’t work for those who give and need care.
If you get an illness such as cancer, it’s awful, but our NHS will give you the best care for free. If you get dementia, you suffer physically, mentally, emotionally and financially – and so do your loved ones.
Ever since I was health secretary in the last Labour government, I’ve wanted to change this. Now I’m Prime Minister, it’s a personal mission I’m determined to see through.
It can be done. After the Second World War, we created the National Health Service. Its principle endures today – everyone contributes and everyone is covered. The NHS transformed healthcare in our country and gave people peace of mind if they got sick.
Now it’s time for a new era of care so people have peace of mind as they get older.
We are setting out a new settlement for older people: a National Care Service that provides them with free personal care and a state pension that rises every year, by either inflation or 2.5 per cent, whichever is higher, and tracks earnings over time.
Pensioners won’t have to spend their life savings on care, and their pension will be on a secure footing for the future.
This is personal for me.
Not just because of my dad, but because this is a country full of fathers and mothers, friends and loved ones, who all deserve to be treated with dignity as they age.
We can win the fight against dementia. We can transform our care system. And we can bring back hope to Britain.
