BORIS Johnson gave Dame Barbara Windsor a kiss on the cheek today as she begged him to fix the “devastating state” of dementia care in the UK.
The PM has sparked general election fever after summoning his Cabinet for an emergency meeting this afternoon ahead of a showdown over No Deal.
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Before the crunch talks, BoJo found time to sit with ex-EastEnders actress Barbara, 82, at No 10.
The dementia-stricken actress had delivered an open letter from the Alzheimer’s Society signed by more than 100,000 people calling on the PM to improve care for the disease.
BoJo was snapped giving the Carry On star a kiss on the cheek during the meeting today.
The close pair also shared a laugh and held hands as they enjoyed a cup of tea in the gardens of No 10.
It comes after Dame Barbara, best known as pub landlady Peggy Mitchell in EastEnders, recorded a thank you video to everyone who has supported the campaign and signed the letter.
She said: “Thank you all so much for showing your support in signing the letter to our new Prime Minister.
“It means so much. Let’s make this happen, and fix dementia care.”
The open letter from the Alzheimer’s Society to Boris Johnson
“We are writing to you as people affected by dementia, their families, friends and supporters. Together with Alzheimer’s Society, we are calling on you to address the devastating state of dementia care through the Spending Review this autumn.
“Our experience is of a care system that too often doesn’t care – one that is completely inadequate, unfair, unsustainable and in dire need of more money. Across the country dementia care is difficult, an in some places even impossible, to access.
“Where support is available, it is of hugely variable quality and unaffordable for far too many. Too often, people with dementia end up hospitalised through lack of care, leading to enormous cost for the NHS and great personal cost to themselves.
“The collective political failure to agree to deliver care reform over decades has left us with a system in crisis. It is families that pick up the strain. Daughters, sons, partners and friends are stepping in and spending 1.3 billion hours a year providing care – many are at breaking point.
“Immediate investment in dementia care, through a Dementia Fund proposed by Alzheimer’s Society, while a long-term funding solution is sought. Decisive action to fix dementia care funding, without delay, must be an immediate priority for your Government.
“We stand with people affected by dementia in urging you to Fix Dementia Care.”
Her husband Scott Mitchell added: “We are so proud to be delivering this letter from the Alzheimer’s Society and all the tens of thousands of people who signed it.
“I genuinely feel for the people that have to give up their jobs and sell their homes, selling their parents’ homes that they have worked all their lives for. And you do wonder, how did we get here?”
Dame Barbara has been battling dementia since 2014 with the symptoms of memory loss and confusion grown steadily worse.
The Alzheimer’s Society says 70 per cent of people in care homes have dementia.
Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Society, said: “The system is completely unprepared to support the growing numbers of people receiving a dementia diagnosis.
“How much more evidence is needed? Charities, businesses, the NHS and social care leaders themselves are united in exposing the alarming state of social care and the urgency needed to address it.
“We must end the dementia tax – we need an NHS Dementia Fund to address the most immediate needs while we must urgently see a long-term solution for social care being made a priority.”
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