New awards from Kent County Council and NHS Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group enable charity to significantly increase its support for people living with dementia across the county

Alzheimer’s & Dementia Support Services (ADSS), Kent’s biggest independent charity dedicated to providing support to people affected by dementia, is delighted to announce that after a successful tender submission it has been awarded three contracts from Kent County Council (KCC) and the NHS Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

The awards will allow ADSS to significantly expand its work with people living with dementia in Kent, offering new dementia coordinator services in north and west Kent, as well as continuing to provide its core post-diagnostic support services in north Kent, in partnership with Age UK Sittingbourne & Faversham and Age UK Sheppey.

The number of people living with dementia in Kent continues to rise and is now estimated at over 23,000 individuals. It is also estimated that over the past two years, across the UK more than 25,000 excess deaths for people with dementia have been caused by the Covid-19 infection and associated lockdowns.

Katie Antill, CEO of ADSS, commented:
“The past two years have been extremely tough for people living with dementia. We have worked hard to continue providing our much-needed support, and we are privileged that KCC and the CCG have entrusted us with delivering more services across the county. This is a testimony to the hard work all of the team at ADSS have put in, and we are very much looking forward to working with Age UK on this exciting new project.”

ADSS has been awarded a contract, which covers post-diagnostic support services in north Kent. A significant part of this contract covers services that ADSS has delivered over the past 30 years in the Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley region from its Safeharbour centre in Gravesend. The new contract, secured in partnership with Age UK Sittingbourne & Faversham and Age UK Sheppey, expands these services across the whole of north kent.

Clare Burgess, CEO of Age UK Sittingbourne and Faversham, commented:
“We are delighted to be working in partnership with ADSS on this joint venture and we are looking forward to getting started. It’s so important that people living with dementia in Faversham, Sittingbourne and Sheppey can access the vital support that they need to live the life they want.”

ADSS has also been awarded new dementia coordinator services contracts, providing people living with dementia in north and west Kent the opportunity to receive one-to-one support and guidance through working with local coordinators. These services will allow ADSS to help those pre diagnosis, by supporting them to get a diagnosis whilst liaising with local surgeries and memory clinics to start the memory pathway. ADSS is now actively recruiting for Dementia Coordinator roles across Maidstone, Medway, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells, Sheppey, Edenbridge and the surrounding areas.

These contracts are a key component in delivering ADSS’ five-year strategy, providing the charity with the opportunity to expand its reach and fulfil its vision that everyone living with dementia in Kent and Medway gets the support they need to live the life they want.