Alzheimer’s Society Cymru launches petition amid fears of rising cases and missed care

A CAMPAIGN has been launched to urge the Welsh Government to make dementia a national priority, as figures show that nearly half of those living with the condition in Wales remain undiagnosed.

Alzheimer’s Society Cymru is asking the public to back its Wales Takes on Dementia petition, which aims to send a clear message to current and future ministers that urgent action is needed. More than 50,000 people in Wales are currently living with dementia, yet around half have no formal diagnosis — meaning they may be missing out on vital treatment, care and support.

Geoff Mock, from Swansea, who lives with vascular dementia, is calling on the public to add their names. He said: “Living with vascular dementia hasn’t been easy, but it hasn’t taken away who I am. A diagnosis is the start of a new chapter — one that can still be full of purpose and dignity.”

Geoff chaired the Alzheimer’s Society Wales Dementia Conference on Tuesday (July 8), held at the Pierhead Building in Cardiff Bay. The event brought together healthcare professionals, policy experts and people with lived experience to discuss Wales’ dementia diagnosis rate — the lowest in the UK at just 56%.

Luke Fletcher MS, Chair of the Senedd Cross-Party Group on Dementia, also addressed the conference and backed calls for dementia training to be made mandatory for all social care workers.

Gemma Roberts, National Influencing Manager for Alzheimer’s Society Cymru, warned that the number of dementia cases in Wales is projected to rise by more than 37% by 2040 — to nearly 70,000. She said: “It currently costs Wales £2.3 billion annually — a figure expected to double by 2040. But beyond the financial toll, the human cost is immeasurable. Now is the time for bold, innovative leadership on dementia.”

The charity is calling for the introduction of a new Wales Dementia Action Plan and is urging all political parties to commit to making dementia care a core priority for the next Welsh Government.

To sign the petition, visit: alzheimers.org.uk/petition-wales

GENERAL practitioners called for an overhaul of an “outdated, unfair” funding model, warning of an “enormous and growing” inequity putting patient safety at risk.

Doctors gave evidence as the Senedd’s health committee began an inquiry into the future of GPs amid concerns about more than 100 surgeries across Wales shutting since 2012.

James Pink, a GP partner in Llanishen, Cardiff, expressed concerns about the Carr-Hill formula, used to allocate funding to practices, which was designed in the late 1990s.

He said: “There’s almost no correlation between funding and deprivation which beggars belief. And the correlation between age, sex and funding isn’t as clear cut as you’d think.”

Dr Pink told the committee variation across Wales means an average practice could be £862,000 worse off than another similarly looking after 10,000 patients.

Noel McLoughlin, a partner at St Isan Road Surgery in Heath, said his colleague found Cardiff and Vale GPs were the worst-funded in the whole of Wales and England.

Dr McLoughlin wrote to the committee: “This means that the Carr-Hill formula regards Cardiff as the wealthiest and healthiest area with the lowest needs.

“This is clearly nonsense. The inequity in funding in Wales alone is enormous – worse still, it is growing. This must stop or the future for general practice and primary care in Cardiff is grim. No-one will want to work here.”

The GP warned: “All patients in all areas are having difficulty accessing primary care. We are struggling to maintain safe levels of working with the current demand and it is going to rise.”

Kate Baker, another Cardiff GP, wrote: “It has been distressing to see the deterioration in funding and support for general practice over the 17 years I have worked as a GP.

“The partners in our practice have not seen a pay rise for nine years and, in fact, the imposed contract for 2023/24 led to a pay cut.”

Giving evidence on July 10, Richard Stratton, a GP partner in Powys, agreed about the necessity of updating the “unfair” formula but cautioned that it will remain a blunt tool.

Dr Stratton told the health committee: “What we also need to factor in is the supplementary services that general practices participate in on top of the core contract.”

He said: “The combination of a revised formula plus better use of local services… would take us forward enormously. At the moment, both feel hamstrung by budgetary constraints.”

Asked about the system of annual negotiations on the General Medical Services (GMS) contract, Dr Stratton said single-year budgets have a debilitating impact on investment. “Without that ability to plan, everything is crisis management,” he warned.

John Williams, a practice manager in north Wrexham, described the contract process as piecemeal and rushed, criticising “tokenistic” smaller investments for posters and suchlike.

Mr Williams pointed to a “double whammy” on employer national insurance contributions, with no public exemption and no £10,500 employment allowance like private businesses.

He said his 13,000-patient practice also faces a £70,000 or 20% overnight increase in its wage bill due to changes to the national living wage.

In its written evidence, the Royal College of General Practitioners said GPs worked across 516 practices in Wales in 2002 but only 374 remain today.

Angharad Fletcher, a GP in Flintshire, warned health board-managed practices are much more expensive to run compared with GMS surgeries yet deliver a “vastly inferior service”.

“GMS is underfunded,” she wrote. “Costs have risen significantly over the past five years and income has not matched that which means in some cases surgeries are having to cut staff when the demand is greater than ever.”

Dr Fletcher added: “There is no longer a workforce crisis. There are many qualified GPs looking for work. Practices cannot afford to employ them.”

One GP, who wished to be anonymous, expressed grave concerns, warning: “We are struggling to provide an acceptable service to our patients. The funding for our practice has been eroded over the last 12 years, such that I have fears there will be harm to patients.”

Another concluded: “If politicians are to be the driver of change then we need politicians on board who have vision and energy to drive this forward.

“I have dealt with two politicians from different parties over the past nine months and each left me with the feeling that no-one really understands the issues or even cares.”

Party seeks 100,000 responses to shape future NHS reform in Wales

THE WELSH LIBERAL DEMOCRATS have launched a nationwide survey to gather public views on the state of the NHS and social care system in Wales.

Aiming for 100,000 responses, the NHS and Social Care Survey is designed to uncover what is working — and what is not — within Welsh healthcare. The results will help the party develop what it describes as a bold, evidence-based plan to reform services ahead of the 2026 Senedd elections.

Launching the initiative, Welsh Lib Dem leader Jane Dodds MS said: “Despite the incredible dedication of our doctors, nurses and care workers, after 25 years of Labour rule the NHS and social care system here in Wales simply isn’t working for too many people.

“Whether it’s unacceptable waits for surgery or the growing crisis in NHS dentistry, people are being let down — and it’s time for change.

“That’s why we’re asking people across Wales to share their experiences and ideas. Your voice will help shape a bold, evidence-led plan to fix our health and social care services and ensure they’re fit for the future.”

The survey is available online and in print, with party volunteers distributing copies in communities across Wales. The party is encouraging anyone living in Wales to take part.

Health and social care reform is expected to be a key pillar of the Welsh Liberal Democrats’ manifesto for 2026.

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