Actress Vicky McClure hands dementia letter to Downing Street

Actress Vicky McClure has handed a letter to the Downing Street asking for updates on the government's dementia plan.

Alongside choreographer Dame Arlene Phillips, the Line of Duty star delivered the letter as an ambassador for the Alzheimer's Society.

The charity wants the government to publish details of the plan and make tackling dementia "a priority".

The society said 900,000 people were living with the disease in the UK.

"Government is failing people with dementia," McClure said.

"Social care workers that they depend on are often utterly broken and exhausted, trying to provide care while being overstretched, under-paid, and under-trained by a deep workforce crisis. Those who care for people with dementia need to be supported; not neglected during a workforce crisis.

"People living with dementia and their carers must get the basic care and support they need to live fulfilled lives - things like breaks for carers, music therapy, and support groups.

"Rishi Sunak must make dementia a priority."

Visiting Downing Street on Thursday, McClure handed the letter over to government officials.

The letter has been signed by 36,297 people nationally, with 3,300 of those coming from the East Midlands.

The Alzheimer's Society said it was also concerned the deepening workforce crisis in social care risks leaving people with dementia desperate for help while living costs soar.

Kate Lee, the charity's chief executive, said: "Too many people still face dementia alone, and PM Rishi Sunak has the chance to seize this moment and genuinely transform dementia research, diagnosis, and care for one of the biggest health challenges in the UK.

"When asked for an update, the government has told us 'in due course' 25 times, which isn't good enough, sadly dementia doesn't wait for 'due course'. Quite simply dementia is not a priority.

"Our letter to the prime minister urges for change, a massive reform of social care, a visionary 10-year plan for dementia, and the National Dementia Mission funding to unlock treatments for people now and in the future."

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "We want a society where every person with dementia, their families and carers, receive high quality, compassionate care, from diagnosis through to end of life.

"We invested £17m in tackling dementia waiting lists and increasing diagnosis rates last year and we have committed to double the funding for dementia research to £160m a year by 2024/25.

"We are making up to £7.5bn over the next two years available to support adult social care and discharge, the biggest funding increase in history, and are promoting careers in care through our annual domestic recruitment campaign and by investing £15m to increase international recruitment of carers."