Dame Rebecca Harris joined Members of Parliament, dementia specialist Admiral Nurses and people with lived experience of the condition at an event hosted by Dementia UK on Monday 28th April. Part of the charity’s annual ‘Time for a Cuppa’ appeal, the event offered MPs the opportunity to speak to Admiral Nurses about the condition and how it affects people living in the constituency of Castle Point.

Dame Rebecca also learned more about Dementia UK’s partnership with Nationwide Building Society, which will see face-to-face dementia clinics hosted in 200 Nationwide branches around the country.

The parliamentary event was hosted by Joe Robertson (Conservative MP for Isle of Wight East), and saw MPs discussing both dementia in their constituencies and across the country with Admiral Nurses and people with lived experience of the condition over tea and cake. MPs were able to ask the Admiral Nurses, including Dementia UK’s Chief Admiral Nurse and CEO Dr Hilda Hayo, questions about the importance of specialist support for dementia in Castle Point, as well as hear from those with lived experience about the challenges they have faced in accessing appropriate care and support for the condition.

Admiral Nurses work across a range of healthcare settings including in acute and community care, on the charity’s free Helpline and in clinics around the UK. They offer life-changing practical and emotional support for all aspects of dementia.

While this event did not involve any fundraising, Time for a Cuppa has encouraged people to raise funds to support people affected by dementia through the charity’s Admiral Nurses. Friends, families and colleagues come together over a cup of tea and a piece of cake in return for a donation to the charity. The event has raised more than £1,600,000 since it was launched 16 years ago, funding numerous Admiral Nurse services around the UK.

This years’ Time for a Cuppa appeal is supported by Dementia UK's partnership with Nationwide and forms part of their social impact programme, Fairer Futures, which seeks to address three of the UK’s biggest social issues through charity partnerships – dementia (Dementia UK), youth homelessness (Centrepoint) and family poverty (Action for Children). Through its partnership with Dementia UK, Nationwide is funding 30 dementia specialist Admiral Nurses and will have hosted free dementia support clinics in 200 branches across the country by the end of the summer.

Dame Rebecca said: “I was pleased to have the opportunity to speak to Dementia UK’s Admiral Nurses, as well as people with lived experience of dementia at the charity’s Time for a Cuppa event in parliament this week. As the leading cause of death in the UK, I know dementia impacts not just my own constituents but people all around the country, and I’m committed to ensuring more people can access specialist support from Admiral Nurses. Together, we can ensure no one faces dementia alone.”

Discussing the event, Dementia UK’s Chief Admiral Nurse and CEO said: “It was great to meet with Dame Rebecca Harris and we appreciate that she took time out of her busy schedule to meet with our Admiral Nurses and people with lived experience of dementia. 

“One in two of us will be affected by this complex condition in our lifetime. As the UK’s specialist dementia nursing charity, Dementia UK understands the issues and challenges that families face – and how specialist nursing care can make all the difference to people facing dementia. 

“We welcome opportunities to work with MPs to ensure more people affected by dementia have access to this vital support delivered through our Helpline, clinics and hosted services, as well as branch clinics delivered in partnership with Nationwide.”

Dementia UK is the specialist dementia nursing charity that is there for the whole family. Its nurses, known as Admiral Nurses, provide free, specialist advice, support and understanding to anyone affected by dementia, whenever it’s needed.

To find out how to access support from an Admiral Nurse, visit Dementia UK’s website https://www.dementiauk.org/information-and-support/how-we-can-support-you/what-is-an-admiral-nurse/.