Psychiatrist appointed first tsar for dementia

Published on Saturday 23 January 2010 19:45

A PROFESSOR of psychiatry has been named as England's first dementia tsar.

As national clinical director for dementia, Professor Alistair Burns will lead the government's 150 million national dementia strategy, launched a year ago by then health secretary Alan Johnson.

Prof Burns, who graduated from Glasgow University in 1980, will help promote better care of people with dementia within the NHS and social care communities.

The illness affects 700,000 people, and the number of sufferers is expected to rise to one million within a decade due to the UK's ageing population.

Dementia is estimated to cost the economy 17 billion a year. Although it is largely a disease of the elderly – with around one in three people over 65 dying with a form of dementia – it also affects around 15,000 below the age of 65.

Prof Burns is currently Professor of Old Age Psychiatry at the University of Manchester and

developed the South Manchester Memory Clinic, which provides specialist assessment and diagnosis for people with memory problems.

Prof Burns said: "The challenge is to make a real positive difference to people with dementia, their families and carers."

Ruth Sutherland, chief operating officer for Alzheimer's Society, said: "

This role will provide much needed leadership for the national dementia strategy."