TWO councillors are calling for more work to support people who have dementia.

Labour councillors Clare Moonan and Theresa Fowler have put forward six steps they want to see to support people with dementia in the city.

Cllr Moonan, who chairs the health overview and scrutiny committee and Cllr Fowler, who is on the city’s health and wellbeing board, praised the council’s work for funding a dementia-friendly public health specialist for two years.

Brighton and Hove has also committed to the Alzheimer’s Society Dementia Friendly Communities initiative and worked with transport services across the city on awareness.

In a motion that went before Brighton and Hove City Council yesterday, they said there are more than 1,800 diagnosed with dementia in the city, but the diagnosis has dropped.

They want councillors’ support for a report on current progress and what further action the council can take to support people living with dementia.

The six actions they want to see at the council are:

  1. Continued funding for the Public Health Dementia Friendly project beyond two years.
  2. Prioritising work with the NHS to improve diagnostic rates.
  3. Extending the dementia-friendly awareness sessions by making them mandatory for customer-facing roles.
  4. Dementia Friendly environmental checks being carried out in all public buildings and open spaces.
  5. Further involvement of local dementia groups.
  6. Appointment of Dementia Champions from each directorate senior team and among councillors.

Cllrs Moonan and Fowler said: “Parliamentary report on dementia 2021 concluded the ‘care system is a bureaucratic maze that patient and carers are expected to navigate at their most vulnerable’ and ‘much progress is still needed’ in dementia care.

“The government has committed to producing a stand-alone dementia strategy this year. This council commends the work being done locally to support those with dementia.”