Health Secretary: Britain must 'raise our game' on dementia

A dementia sufferer's son said the disease "strips someone of their character", as Jeremy Hunt called on Britain to "raise our game" on the illness.

Pauline Murray-White's son filmed his mother's battle with the illness since she was first diagnosed in 2007 and captured the moment she struggled to recognise a picture of her late partner.

James Murray-White said the relationships of sufferers "eventually shatter."

He added: "Dementia just strips someone of their character, their personality, who they and what they knew."

Watch Mr Murray-White talk about his mother's illness in a report from December

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt told ITV's Daybreak he wants to tackle the disparity in dementia diagnosis speeds across the UK and pledged to use some of the £90 million in funding to "even out that inconsistency."

Mr Hunt said the disparity in diagnosis speeds was down to "some parts of the country having more efficient systems in place than others."

Dementia costs the British economy "hundreds of billions" of pounds and will cost the taxpayer even more if it develops unchecked, the Health Secretary added.

Mr Hunt wanted to provide a support network for the families of sufferers and develop "a better public understanding" of the degenerative disease.

Read: Govt 'must tackle poor dementia care standards'

Labour have warned that the Government must tackle "poor care standards" for dementia sufferers, after the Jeremy Hunt announced a new package of measures to improve diagnosis rates.

Shadow minister for care and older people Liz Kendall said the Government must "do far more to help people struggling to cope with dementia right now".

Read: Jeremy Hunt to learn from France on dementia diagnosis

Jeremy Hunt travelled to France to see how the country effectively diagnoses and treats dementia, before he announced a £90 million package to improve care in the UK.

ITV News' Political Correspondent Libby Wiener travelled with Jeremy Hunt as he met with the French Health Minister, Marisol Touraine, and dementia experts on a visit to a leading Brain and Spine Institute in Paris.

A report by Alzheimer's Disease International suggests that more GPs in France spot the early signs of dementia than friends and family, which is in stark contrast to the UK.

Read: Around 800,000 suffer from dementia in UK

Jeremy Hunt has announced a new range of measures to help dementia sufferers as he bids to make the UK a "global leader" in fighting the illness

Figures from the Alzheimer's Society revealed:

• Around 800,000 people suffer from dementia in the UK
• This figure is likely to soar to 1.7 million by 2050
• One in three people over 65 will die with dementia
• There are over 17,000 people under 65 with the illness

• The charity estimate that the illness costs the UK over £23 billion a year, and this figure is likely to rise to £27 billion per annum by 2018
• Unpaid carers supporting someone with dementia save the economy £8 billion a year

Read: 'Dementia strips someone of their character'

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt says he is on a mission to make the UK a global leader in finding a cure for dementia, as he unveiled a range of measures to help those suffering from the illness.

"Dementia can be a horrific and heartbreaking disease, but it is my mission as Health Secretary to make this country the best place in the world to get a dementia diagnosis, as well as a global leader in the fight to find a cure," Mr Hunt said.

"Today's package is about government, clinicians, business, society and investors coming together to raise our game on every front."

The Health Secretary said it was "totally unacceptable" to have variations in diagnosis rates, and welcomed NHS England's work to diagnose sufferers earlier.

Read: 'Dementia strips someone of their character'

New care measures for dementia sufferers will make the UK a world leader in fighting the disease, Jeremy Hunt has claimed.

The Health Secretary has announced a new package of care, including faster diagnosis, increased research funding and greater help from businesses to support sufferers.

NHS England will invest £90 million in a bid to diagnose two-thirds of people with dementia by next March.

Leading British businesses, including Marks & Spencer, Argos, Homebase, Lloyds Bank and Lloyds Pharmacy, will train over 190,000 staff to learn how to spot the signs of dementia and offer support.