ADD2582 Dementia Friendly London 2022-23

1.1. The Greater London Authority (GLA) Health Team has developed a programme of work to lead and implement the Mayor’s 10-year London Health Inequalities Strategy (HIS) 2018-28 (October 2018) with relevant partners and stakeholders; and to support the Mayor’s leadership role as chair of the London Health Board. The vision and aims of this programme are:

• healthy children – every London child has a healthy start in life
• healthy minds – all Londoners share in a city with the best mental health in the world
• healthy places – all Londoners benefit from an environment and economy that promotes good mental and physical health
• healthy communities – all of London’s diverse communities are healthy and thriving
• healthy living – the healthy choice is the easy choice for all Londoners
• supporting the Mayor’s leadership role for health.

1.2. Dementia is one of the biggest health and social care challenges facing London today. There are over 72,000 people with dementia living in London, and this number is set to more than triple within the next 40 years. In addition to a ‘postcode lottery’ of support on offer, people with dementia have told the GLA that leaving the house can be daunting in the capital. Stripping people of their independence is not only unfair but also leads to social isolation.

1.3. The impacts of COIVD-19 on people living with dementia have been acute, including high rates of infection and death from the virus; disruption to health and social care provision; and increased isolation and lack of access to wider support, goods and services. Many impacts will be far-reaching and long-term.

1.4. In 2018 the Mayor, in partnership with Alzheimer’s Society and other key partners (including the NHS, London boroughs, businesses, Transport for London and the Metropolitan Police) launched Dementia Friendly London – a shared ambition to make London the world’s first dementia-friendly capital city. The ambition of the Mayor and other key partners is that every Londoner affected by dementia will be able to enjoy the best possible life, no matter who they are or where they live. This includes ensuring people with dementia can travel to places with ease, and that they can live somewhere that meets their needs; and empowering them to make a positive contribution to their communities and actively participate in all that London has to offer. The Mayor has appointed the GLA’s Chief Officer as his Dementia Champion for the GLA group. In 2021 the Mayor and Alzheimer’s Society launched the London Dementia Friendly Venues Charter; over 150 leading cultural organisations have pledged to take action to improve the experience for people affected by dementia.

1.5. Dementia Friendly London is a key part of the Healthy Communities chapter of the HIS, and aims to support people affected by dementia, including family members and carers, to live well with dementia. Many of the approaches that support people with dementia to live well also benefit a wide range of other Londoners, including those with a physical or cognitive impairment.

1.6. In December 2021, the Mayor published the HIS Implementation Plan 2021-24 setting out GLA and partner commitments in each of the five themes listed in 1.1, above. Delivering Dementia Friendly London is a commitment within Healthy Communities.

1.7. Previous decisions are summarised in the table below:

2.1. The overall aim of Dementia Friendly London is for London to be a city that supports people affected by dementia to live well and to enjoy opportunities to take part in community life.

2.2. Ultimately, the intended outcome is to contribute to an increase in quality of life for people living with dementia. This will be achieved through increasing awareness, shifting attitudes; tackling stigmas; and convening and coordinating partners to act.



2.3. The objectives of the grant funding are to enable Alzheimer’s Society to:

• build on the successes, and address the challenges, of Dementia Friendly London to date informed by an independent evaluation; and reorient the programme in the light of COVID impacts and Alzheimer’s Society’s new national strategy (expected in summer 2022);
• provide Dementia Friendly London with the necessary expertise to effectively engage with people affected by dementia; strengthen communications across local community; and strengthen networks for people affected by dementia, and groups focused on older people more broadly
• engage London’s diverse communities to understand barriers faced by people affected by dementia from minoritised communities, who are seeking help and support
• convene key partners and deliver a programme of governance, engagement and communications to deliver against the aims of Dementia Friendly London.

2.4. Deliverables are listed in the table below:

3.1. Reducing health inequalities underpins the GLA Health team’s work, including Dementia Friendly London. Health inequalities are differences in health that are unnecessary and avoidable, as well as unjust and unfair. They often exist between groups of people with protected characteristics, and those who experience poverty and socioeconomic deprivation. Dementia Friendly London supports the Mayor to deliver the commitments made in the Healthy Communities chapter of the HIS.

3.2. Section 149(1) of the Equality Act 2010 provides that, in the exercise of their functions, public authorities, of whom the Mayor is one, must have due regard to the need to:

• eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited by or under the Equality Act 2010
• advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it
• foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.

3.3. Relevant protected characteristics to this decision are age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.

3.4. Inclusive London is the Mayor’s Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy. Its purpose is to help the GLA group to deliver the Mayor’s ambitions for achieving greater equality and fairness for Londoners. It also enables the GLA group to meet its public sector equality duty under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, and its obligations under section 33 of the GLA Act 1999 as amended. It does this by setting out cross-cutting strategic EDI objectives for the GLA group informed by evidence gathered and cited in the strategy. It also includes an outline of the work that the GLA will undertake to deliver these objectives. One of the protected characteristics is age. Dementia is an illness that is more common in older people. A person’s risk of developing dementia rises from one in 14 over the age of 65, to one in six over the age of 80.

3.5. Research by Age UK and Alzheimer’s Society has found that older people, and people with dementia, experience negative attitudes, prejudice and discrimination. Inclusive London promotes fairness and inclusivity; and includes commitments to make London a dementia-friendly city and particularly focuses on transport, housing, awareness-raising and reducing stigmas.

3.6. Whilst there are over 4,500 Londoners aged under 65 years with onset dementia, the disease largely affects older people. Age is a protected characteristic under the public sector equality duty. Dementia Friendly London has been aligned to Age Friendly London, a World Health Organzation programme to which the Mayor signed up in 2018. Work is ongoing to align priorities and plans.

3.7. Research from Alzheimer’s Society shows that people from minoritised communities, in particular South Asian and Black Londoners, are under-represented in diagnosis and support services. A key priority of this grant funding is to enable Alzheimer’s Society to identify and support increased participation and engagement of diverse Londoners impacted by dementia

4.1. Risks are assessed and managed on a programme basis. Cross-cutting and major risks are reported through the Dementia Friendly London Executive Board, on which the GLA Chief Officer sits. At the time of writing, the major risks are as follows:

4.2. Dementia Friendly London supports delivery of the commitments in the Mayor’s HIS and Inclusive London, the Mayor’s EDI Strategy.

4.3. People with dementia can sometimes be ‘vulnerable’. However, that should not prevent them from taking part in what London has to offer. Involving people affected by dementia is a core principle of the Dementia Friendly London programme. Alzheimer’s Society has a wealth of experience and a comprehensive range of safe-guarding, risk assessment and data protection policies and procedures in place.

4.4. Alzheimer’s Society undertakes a wide range of consultation with people directly affected by dementia, support organisations and a wide range of stakeholders in the development and delivery of the programme.

4.5. There are no conflicts of interest to note for any of the officers involved in the drafting or clearance of this decision form.

5.1. Approval is being sought for expenditure of £50,000 to provide a grant to the Alzheimer’s Society. The grant will enable the Alzheimer’s Society to advise on, develop and support the delivery of the Dementia Friendly London programme.

5.2. This expenditure will be funded by the 2022-23 HIS budget, held within the Health Unit.

5.3. The expenditure detailed within this decision sits within the Public Health, and Health and Care Partnerships foundation.