Panorama's 'Crisis in Care'

In an unprecedented move, Somerset Council granted full access to BBC Panorama for a year in the interests of showing how years of budget cuts are impacting the services they can provide - and the lives of people who depend on the care system.

Following her interview on BBC Breakfast this morning about the issues showcased in Panorama, Kathryn Smith, Chief Operating Officer at Alzheimer's Society said:

'Panorama shines a light on the human cost of a care system that is unfair, unsustainable and in need of urgent overhaul.

'With adult social care services across the country facing a funding gap of more than £1.5 billion, people with dementia are increasingly struggling to access the care they need and family carers are buckling under the strain. This national disgrace cannot continue.

Social care reform has stalled. With a new Prime Minister imminent, they must signal how they will tackle an issue that successive governments’ have failed to act on.

'Alzheimer’s Society is calling for urgent investment in high-quality, person-centred care through a dedicated Dementia Fund now, while a long-term funding solution is sought.

'The Fund will provide a lifeline to hundreds of thousands of people living with dementia, and help avoid people with dementia and their carers reaching crisis point.'