Prime minister sets national dementia challenge

Prime minister David Cameron has set out a new challenge for the UK to become a world leader in the treatment of dementia.

The Conservative leader is calling for the medical profession and businesses to ally with the government and society as a whole to take a unified approach to tackling a health problem that costs society an estimated 19 billion pounds a year.

As part of this new national dementia strategy, three "champion groups" are being set up to monitor progress on improving health and care standards, fostering innovative research and raising awareness of the condition.

The government will also be working closely with the Alzheimer's Society to drive progress on improving diagnosis rates, challenging stigmas surrounding the condition and creating new treatment methods.

Health secretary Andrew Lansley said: "Dementia is one of the biggest challenges we face as a society and we are determined to transform the quality of dementia care for patients and their families."

This comes after government research last November suggested that around six in ten dementia sufferers in England could be going undiagnosed at present.