New dementia strategy to bolster research funding and staff training

The government has announced a multi-pronged long-term strategy aimed at improving understanding and treatment of dementia over the next five years.

Under the new plans, more than 300 million pounds will be invested into research and medical innovation, with annual investment in UK research expected to double by 2025. Meanwhile, an international dementia institute will be established in England within half a decade.

Meanwhile, a separate multimillion-pound fund will be launched in the coming weeks to help establish a large-scale, international investment scheme to discover new drugs and treatment that could slow down the onset of dementia – or even deliver a cure – by 2025.

It has also been announced that all NHS staff will now be required to undergo training in dementia, with three million more Dementia Friends to be trained nationwide. Moreover, efforts will be made to ensure the condition is assessed and diagnosed more rapidly.

Prime minister David Cameron said: "Dementia is one of the greatest challenges of our lifetime, and I am proud that we are leading the world in fighting it."

Dementia is set to become an increasingly prevalent condition in the UK in the coming decades due to the rising average age of the population.