Across North Staffordshire, there are thousands of people with dementia and many thousands more who care for them.  Speaking to constituents, I know of the difficulties which this condition can cause, and the distress which can arise as a loved starts to suffer from the early stages of dementia. And I know how it affects so many of us: 1 in 3 older people will experience some form of dementia.

Sadly, there is not yet a cure for dementia and Alzheimers.  But there is the opportunity to support those who are living with the condition and also to do more to help those who spend so much of their life caring for others.

It’s also important that those of us in Parliament understand more about the disease and how it affects the 700,000 who live with it in the UK.  This is all the more important, because this number is going to increase to more than one million in the next 20 years:  dementia is going to affect more and more of us.

So last week, I was very pleased to be amongst the MPs who met to establish an All Party Group on Dementia.  We met for the first time on Monday to look at how dementia can be made a national health and social care priority. We considered The Alzheimer’s Society’s recent report which calls for a national dementia strategy to meet the challenge of an ageing population.

The report Social Care: A Lifeline For People with Dementia and their Carers was based experiences of people with dementia and their carers. I think that the report highlights the vital role that social care services play in supporting people with their dementia and their carers everyday, from providing help with eating and washing to support taking part in community activities. I am pleased to support its calls for increased access to a range of social care services for people with dementia and their carers.

As Neil Hunt, the chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Society, said ‘We cannot afford to ignore the challenge of dementia, but planning now and developing a national dementia strategy will save lives and money in the future.

I am very pleased that the Alzheimer's Association has decided to challenge the recent decision made by NICE to limit the use of drugs which are used to assist with the effects of Alzheimer's. It is important to remember that the benefit of these such new drugs will assist and benefit those caring for those within Alzheimers and benefit from the latest drugs, and not discriminatory by not providing the drugs approved.

Finally, it’s important to know where to go for help. I would like to remind all readers of the excellent work of North Staffordshire Carers.  I am a patron of this really important organisation which provides support to those who care for a loved one.  If you would like to know more about the help that might be available, phone 01782 834 836 or check www.carersfirst.com

If you live in Stoke-on-Trent North and would like to know more about the All Party Group, about dementia, and what I have been doing, then please do get in touch.