As per estimates, nearly 700,000 people in Britain suffer from the degenerative brain condition. Government is planning to set a national network of "memory clinics" under a five-year strategy to improve services for people with dementia. The new strategy will also offer extra support to care-takers to help dementia sufferers stay longer in their own homes.

Alan Johnson, the health secretary said that every GP will be trained to spot the first signs of dementia. They will send patients to memory clinics that will be set up in every town in England to diagnose the condition and prescribe drugs and therapies that can delay its progression. The clinics will be staffed by geriatricians, psychiatrists and GPs who have specialised in dementia.

Care Services Minister Phil Hope said: "If we diagnose earlier we can intervene earlier."

Johnson further added: "Removing the stigma, raising awareness and getting early diagnosis and better quality of treatment are the key issues that the strategy is seeking to tackle."