Liverpool Care Pathway - The 2013 CQUIN As Endorsed By Mr. Cameron

FORENOTE:

A new national CQUIN goal has been introduced for use in 2012-13.

Dementia Goal

An estimated 25% of acute beds are occupied by people with dementia. Their length of stay is longer than other people and they are often subject to delays on leaving hospital.

This particular goal is to help identify patients with dementia and other causes of cognitive impairment, alongside their other medical conditions and to prompt appropriate referral and follow up after they leave hospital.

There are more bed-blockers to shift. And where will this lead...?

The Mail continues to draw attention to the CQUIN payments system in the hospital setting but, as has been reported in these pages, this now extends into District Nursing and General Practice. CQUIN is, no doubt, also involved in the spread of the GP death lists and the use of LCP, for instance, in St. Mungo's and elsewhere.

Dementia is added to the GP watchlist.

This is Mail Online -

Dementia tests will make older patients 'scared to visit their doctor', claim GPs

• David Cameron has made tackling dementia a 'personal priority'

• Patients could be quizzed about their memory when they visit their GPs on unrelated matters

By DANIEL MILLER

PUBLISHED: 10:50, 26 December 2012 | UPDATED: 08:57, 27 December 2012

A plan to improve dementia diagnosis rates by quizzing anyone over the age of 75 about their memory will put older patients off visiting their doctor, claims a concerned group of GPs.

 

Prime Minister David Cameron, who has made tackling dementia a 'personal priority', wants older people to be checked when they visit the doctor for any reason.

GPs will be paid for asking questions about patients' memories with anyone who admits to having problems being offered a screening test to see if they are at risk.

GPs fear a proposed drive to tackle dementia diagnosis rates could put older patients off from visiting their doctors for unrelated matters

But many GPs fear patients will be put off visiting the doctors, even when suffering potentially serious health problems, because they will not want to be diagnosed with the disease.

Former president of the Royal College of GPs Dr Iona Heath was one of the doctors who signed a letter which appeared in the Daily Telegraph.

She said: 'This is another step on the road to obsessive diagnosis, and turning people into patients without any notion that it might cause more harm than good and divert resources.'  

About 800,000 Britons are currently being treated for dementia with another 400,000 thought to suffer from it but have not been diagnosed.

Prime Minister David Cameron has made tackling dementia a 'personal priority'

Last month David Cameron announced plans for a £2.4million project to train a million volunteers to spot the illness and care for patients.

One million 'dementia friends' are to be trained to spot the symptoms of the condition and given advice on how to provide practical help to Britain's estimated 700,000 sufferers.

The GPs' letter reads: 'A diagnosis of dementia is a life-changing event.

'The Government's NHS Mandates states: 'Dementia is the illness most feared by people in England over the age of 55. 

'There is a danger that older patients will avoid visiting their doctor with health problems, for fear of being given a diagnosis they do not wish to have.'

In an interview with ITV's This Morning programme last month Mr Cameron explained: 'Six months ago, I set up this challenge to say we’ve got to do better as a country in three vital regards. 

'First is how do we treat people with dementia in the health service, in care homes? In some cases it’s brilliant, in many cases it’s not good enough, and remember one in four hospital beds are occupied by someone with dementia.

'What more can we do in society to show understanding for people with dementia and make sure we treat them properly?

'Third, but I think almost the most vital, is putting more money into dementia research.

'I think there a lot of people out there who think dementia is just part of ageing, part of getting old. It isn’t. It’s a disease of the brain. We’ve got about 670,000 people with dementia, but tragically only 40 per cent - less than half - know they’ve got it. 

'We are not diagnosing it fast enough, we are not treating it fast enough. But there’s a really big cultural change we need to make. We know cancer is a killer that we want to get on top of.

'We need to think of dementia in the same way. This is a disease that we need to try and tackle with all our brains and brilliant scientists.'