A REVIEW of Darlington services has recommended that more action needs to be taken to protect the 1,453 people in need of dementia care in the borough.

A Darlington Borough Council Adults and Housing Scrutiny Committee report revealed that dementia affects one in 20 over-65s, however fewer than half of those with memory loss are given a diagnosis.

In Darlington, around 2,269 people aged 18-years-old and above are expected to experience dementia symptoms by 2030 – adding more pressure to existing care facilities.

The committee agreed to review the borough’s dementia care provisions as part of a County Durham and Darlington Dementia Strategy designed to support services until 2017.

Dementia-friendly groups and meetings managed by volunteers were assessed as part of the review, which also included the town’s care homes and public and private sector schemes.

The committee published a raft of recommendations as part of the 52-page report covering prevention, diagnosis, support and end-of-life care.

Chair of the council’s Adults and Housing Scrutiny Committee, Councillor Sue Richmond, said: “The aim of the review was to find out what work was being carried out within Darlington by all organisations involved in dementia care, ensuring that the person living with dementia and their carer was always at the heart of our work to better understand the devastating impact this can have on people’s lives.

“We wanted to gain an understanding of both current services and future plans.

“The Scrutiny Committee have learned so much about the on-going work around dementia care, including the many activities and support delivered by the third sector, and welcomed all suggestions for improvement.”

The committee are expected to agree the recommendations are reviewed again in the New Year during a Town Hall meeting this morning.

The report also states that Darlington Clinical Commissioning Group has recorded a 76.3 per cent diagnosis rate ahead of the 67 per cent national average.

However, committee members added that changes to the town’s voluntary dementia services output could see further improvements for those in need.

The report states: “The Darlington Clinical Commissioning Group Carers Fund and Darlington Borough Council provide significant investment in these services delivered by the voluntary sector agencies, however, it was highlighted that more could be done to relieve pressures by improved commissioning with the voluntary sector.”