Dementia needs the same investment that has transformed cancer survival in recent decades if any real progress is to be made, a report has concluded.

The King’s Fund and Alzheimer’s Society said dementia care is stuck in the 20th century and needs a ‘cancer-style revolution’.

It will mean the health and care system being prepared to diagnose dementia swiftly and roll out new innovations at scale.

Survival rates for cancer have almost doubled since the early 1970s, when it was broadly considered a death sentence.

It is a result of leadership, public attitudes, clear targets for diagnosis and treatment, and a commitment to improving the quality of data transformed care for cancer which should provide a ‘blueprint’ for what could happen in dementia, the report said.

Yet with UK prevalence set to rise from 1 million to 1.4 million by 2040, and the cost to the UK economy predicted to double to £90bn a year, progress needs to be much faster, it noted.

Former national cancer director, Professor Sir Mike Richards, backed the calls, saying ‘dementia deserves the same ambition that has transformed cancer care’.

In a survey of people caring for someone with dementia who had experience of cancer care, half (51%) said their experience of dementia care was worse.

Sarah Woolnough, chief executive of The King’s Fund, said there was a time when cancer was thought of as a death sentence.

Whilst still a major killer, many people are living well and after cancer and there has been a remarkable transformation in cancer outcomes in a relatively short space of time, she added.

‘The same cannot be said for dementia care, with approaches to treatment still stuck in the 20th century.

‘There is ambition that this might be about to change, with recent major scientific advancements giving hope that dementia treatment on the cusp of a cancer-style revolution in care.’

But she added: ‘We will only be able to fulfil this potential if the health and care system is ready to diagnose dementia swiftly and roll out new innovations at scale.

‘That is currently far from the case, and we believe that lessons can be learnt from the progress made in cancer.’

Michelle Dyson, CEO of Alzheimer’s Society, said: ‘If you have cancer, it is treated urgently, you get a specific diagnosis, and there is a clear pathway that takes you through your care and treatment.

‘With dementia, it can be years before you get a diagnosis and, all too often, people are sent home with a leaflet and little else.

‘Both are horrendous conditions, and there is still much to do for cancer care, but people’s experiences are worlds apart.’

The UK Government has committed to appointing a ‘dementia tsar’ on the back of recommendations in the Casey Commission on adult social care.

Professor Richards added: ‘While there are still real challenges in cancer, the progress made shows what can be possible when investment, collaboration, leadership and hope combine.

‘Today, what continues to make the difference are clear diagnosis and treatment pathways with timed targets, and a national registry that tracks progress.’

In a speech at the Alzheimer’s Society conference, minister of state for social care and mental health, Alison McGovern said this year the government would publish the first ever Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia.

‘It will bring health and care workers together, adhering to a clear set of national standards, sharpening the priorities, raising expectations of the help that people living with dementia and their families should receive, because we must put a floor under the kind of care that people can expect, and we must improve it too, giving the workforce the direction and support it needs to reach the best standards.’

She added she would ‘waste no time’ in putting in place a Dementia Tsar.

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Dementia care needs same ambition as cancer, argues report