Image source, Getty Images

A health watchdog has identified several areas for improvement in services for people and their carers living with dementia in Cornwall.

Healthwatch Cornwall, an independent publicly-funded organisation, published a report informed by carers.

It covers carers' experiences of health, social care and voluntary sector services in Cornwall.

Dr Allison Hibbert, GP System Lead for Dementia, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, confirmed a need to "improve services".

There are more than 5,000 people in Cornwall diagnosed with dementia.

Dr Hibbert, NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care System (ICS) Lead for Dementia, along with the Memory Cafe Network, commissioned Healthwatch Cornwall to carry out the research.

It found less than one in two carers (43%) can access a GP when they need to, going down to 33% for those juggling caring and work.

Less than half of carers (49%) said they were recognised by their GP as a carer.

The watchdog said feedback from the 160 carers who took part showed navigating the health and social care system was "often a challenge".

Services and support for people with dementia or memory loss were described by some carers as "patchy or inconsistent".

Feedback also highlighted positive aspects of dementia care, including support from Primary Care Dementia Practitioners (PCDP), described as a "vital link" to secondary care mental health teams.

But the watchdog said: "Many carers struggled to access regular re. Send your story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk.

Related Topics