This report published by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Dementia (APPG) explores the the evidence for cost effective models of dementia care. It makes recommendations to focus on early intervention and prevention to reduce early entry to residential care and reduce unnecessary hospital admissions.

Download The £20 Billion Question – An inquiry into improving lives through cost-effective dementia services

The number of people living with dementia in the UK is set to increase from 750,000 in 2010 to over a million by 2025. The financial cost of dementia in the UK is estimated to be £20 billion a year, and is estimated to grow to over £27 billion by 2018.

The inquiry concluded that given the high costs of dementia and the human cost of failing to provide good quality care, service commissioners and planners must treat dementia as a priority area for improving cost-effectiveness. Cost effective dementia services could play a key role in supporting health and social care services deliver savings required of them by the government.

The inquiry highlighted the need to focus on early intervention and prevention to reduce early entry to residential care and reduce unnecessary hospital admissions. It also calls on the health and social care system to work closely to improve the efficiency and quality of dementia services.