PM pledges £48m fight against dementia after father's passing

Last month my father Roy passed away after living with dementia for quite some time. He never knew his son had become Prime Minister, yet the staff at his care home arranged a television in front of his chair so he could watch me arrive in Downing Street. I understand exactly how it feels to lose a loved one to this condition. That is why I am glad to support the Daily Mail and Alzheimer's Society's Defeating Dementia campaign. We will throw the full weight of government behind that effort.

Today I am announcing a £48million partnership to support the Barbara Alliance, named after the late Dame Barbara Windsor. This alliance brings together government bodies, industry players, researchers, charities, and people with lived experience to tackle the barriers slowing down dementia research. My goal is for Britain to be the leading nation in this field, making breakthroughs that change lives. I am also pleased the Health Data Research Service will make dementia a priority. This government body manages access to NHS data for the life sciences sector. Boosting clinical trials here means delivering new drugs to patients faster.

My father's carers were amazing people. But watching him battle with his condition showed me the system simply does not work for those who give and need care. If you get an illness like cancer, it is awful, but our NHS gives you the best care for free. With dementia, you suffer physically, mentally, emotionally and financially – and so do your loved ones. Andy Burnham attended a leadership hustings in 2015 with his mother Eileen and late father Roy, who died from Alzheimer's disease last month. Mr Burnham fell silent on stage during his first Labour conference speech as PM when he choked with emotion two weeks after his father's death.

Ever since I was health secretary in the last Labour government, I have wanted to change this. Now that I am Prime Minister, it is a personal mission I am determined to see through. It can be done. After the Second World War, we created the National Health Service. Its principle endures today – everyone contributes and everyone is covered. The NHS transformed healthcare in our country and gave people peace of mind if they got sick. Now it is time for a new era of care so people have peace of mind as they get older. We are setting out a new settlement for older people: a National Care Service that provides them with free personal care. This service will offer a state pension that rises every year, by either inflation or 2.5 per cent, whichever is higher, and tracks earnings over time. Pensioners won't have to spend their life savings on care, and their pension will be on a secure footing for the future.

This is personal for me. Not just because of my dad, but because this is a country full of fathers and mothers, friends and loved ones who all deserve to be treated with dignity as they age. We can win the fight against dementia. We can transform our care system. And we can bring back hope to Britain. For confidential advice, call Alzheimer's Society's Dementia Support Line on 0333 150 3456. The Alzheimer's Society's symptoms checker can help spot the signs of dementia. Read more about how to spot if someone you love has warning signs of dementia.