Dementia strategy and plan must have GPs at the core

GPs must be central to any dementia strategy and dementia prevention activities, says the AMA.

This week the AMA provided a submission to a consultation initiated by the Department of Health and Aged Care on developing a 10-year National Dementia Action Plan. The 2023–33 Draft Action Plan is a shared initiative between the federal and state governments that aims to improve the outcomes for people living with dementia.

While welcoming the initiative, the AMA’s submission warned that that the draft plan failed to adequately address the fragmentation of care for older people. Lack of coordination among the multiple professionals working with people with dementia is a major impediment to improving care and outcomes. The AMA is also concerned that the crucial role of general practitioners (GPs) is not adequately considered or incorporated into strategies.

The AMA called for the plan to recognise that dementia is core business for most GPs and to ensure practical improvements in GP dementia care, through longer patient consultations, better sharing of information between different care providers (including disability and aged care) and better care coordination for people living with dementia. The AMA submission also recommended specific actions to improve dementia diagnosis and post diagnostic care and support.

The AMA submission can be viewed here: https://www.ama.com.au/articles/national-dementia-action-plan-2023-33

A subsequent article was also published by the Medical Republic.