“People living with dementia deserve better”: says Barnet charity

Dementia Club UK founder Lisa Rutter is asking Barnet residents and the government to back her campaign for priority triage and discharge, arguing that current hospital procedures are putting patients at risk, reports Leïla Davaud

A man and a woman standing in front of display board — Marcelo Navarro and Lisa Rutter (Credit – Dementia Club UK)

For the past 12 years, Lisa Rutter, founder of Barnet-based charity Dementia Club UK, has been campaigning to improve the lives of people living with dementia. Her latest campaign aims to urge the government and the NHS to introduce priority triage and discharge pathways for dementia patients.

“People living with dementia deserve better. These patients need to be attended to differently,” says Lisa, a former Barnet councillor and mayor of Barnet in 2011/12.

She adds: “It is very common for people living with dementia to be hospitalised with urinary tract infections, for example. Often, all they need is treatment and to be sent back home or to their care setting as soon as possible.”

According to Lisa, prolonged hospital stays can have devastating consequences for people with dementia.

“The break in their routine and being taken away from familiar surroundings can make them decline rapidly,” she explains. “Once they become agitated and start deteriorating, it is very difficult to reverse that.”

Her campaign proposes a “fast-track” system that would enable hospital staff to prioritise people living with dementia for assessment and discharge, helping them return to familiar surroundings as quickly as possible.

“Right now, so many boxes need to be ticked before a patient can be treated or discharged that it is putting them in danger,” she says.

The campaign is deeply personal. Lisa’s own mother died in 2021 after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

“My mother had to be hospitalised, but she wasn’t treated in a way that recognised her dementia,” she recalls. “She was distressed and agitated. The staff, from fault of their own weren’t sufficiently trained to understand what was happening to her. She regressed rapidly and eventually, she died.”

She says her family’s experience is far from unique.

In 2024, then health minister Helen Whately acknowledged that significant gaps remained in hospital dementia care after hearing testimony from carers.

“We organised an online meeting with families, and Helen Whately heard first-hand how some hospital policies do not reflect what is safest for people living with dementia,” she explains. “She raised these concerns in a speech in parliament, including the importance of keeping patients mobile to help prevent further cognitive decline, and how long hospital stays can lead to distress and aggressive behaviour.”

To build support for the campaign, Lisa Rutter has launched both an official petition on the UK Parliament website and a paper petition circulating in the local community. The petitions are open for signatures until Monday, 3rd August. “We need 10 000 signatures for a government response and 100 000 for debate.”

The campaign comes as the number of people living with dementia continues to rise. According to NHS England Primary Care Dementia Data and NHS Digital, there are currently around 982,000 people living with dementia in the UK, with that figure projected to increase to around 1.4 million by 2040.

Over the last five years (2020–2025), recorded dementia diagnoses in England have shown a steady overall increase, including a temporary decline during the COVID-19 pandemic followed by a consistent recovery and continued growth.

Despite the issue being raised at Westminster in 2024, Lisa Rutter says little has changed. While continuing to campaign for systemic change, she supports families navigating these hospital admissions.

“I always give carers three rules to follow,” she says. “Tell hospital staff immediately that the patient has dementia. Give them a ‘Get to Know Me’ form that includes information about their hobbies, family members, favourite topics of conversation, and anything that helps calm them. Finally, contact me or Dementia Club UK as soon as you can.”

Fighting a similar battle, the home care professionals at Walfinch try to intervene as much as they can.

“We let the hospitals know that we can provide at-home assistance so that dementia patients can leave safely. Once back in their usual surroundings, they are not lost anymore; they are less confused,” explains Marcelo Navarro, director of the East Barnet offices. “The goal is to free hospital beds and make sure the patients are safe. It’s a win for everyone. It simply needs to be facilitated.”

For Lisa and Marcelo, the campaign is ultimately about ensuring people living with dementia receive care that “recognises their condition rather than unintentionally worsening it”.

To support the campaign and sign the petition, visit www.petition.parliament.uk/petitions/755763

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