Strategic care for people with disabling neurological diseases
With the aim of improving care for people with disabling neurological diseases, the Social Health Master Plan of the Ministry of Health promotes, plans and coordinates the strategic actions required to achieve better quality healthcare for patients affected by these diseases. These actions are carried out on all care levels to ensure continuity and coordination between professionals in the various health and social resources.

Work has to continue to make care centres that specialise in low prevalence diseases visible with the aim of forming a quality network accessible to everyone affected in Catalonia. Moreover, all suitable knowledge must be provided for the development of the Rare Diseases Strategy of the National Health System of the Ministry of Health and Social Policy, in which neurological diseases are particularly significant.

The plans include a review of the portfolio of services and the adaptation of territorial planning to include the identification of reference neurological services and the development of remote care networks.

Strategic care for people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias
Care for people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias and support for their carers show room for improvement. Accordingly, a dementia plan has been proposed to enable the implementation of improvements to the diagnostic process and the treatment of people with dementia, the development of cognitive stimulation services, and the improvement of Alzheimer’s disease care in young patients.

Moreover, work is continuing to prepare a practical clinical guide to dementias.

Strategic geriatric care
With respect to care for the elderly, priority actions must focus on the improvement of care for the elderly and fragile population on the community level (home and residential centres for the elderly), in addition to making progress in improvements for elderly patients in the subacute phase (by means of comprehensive home hospitalisation devices) and in the acute phase (especially with respect to the evaluation and subsequent promotion of successful schemes in certain territories).

Strategic care for end-of-life patients
In the scope of care for people at the end of life, specific end-of-life care teams for children and young people have been implemented. Actions have been planned to improve conventional services, the accessibility of people with advanced and terminal disease (both oncological and non-oncological), the improvement of coordination between specific palliative care social healthcare devices and primary and hospital care resources, and the improvement of the quality of information and records. Moreover, a significant number of training and awareness actions concerning palliative care have been planned.

Transverse or common action
Other actions that affect the four strategic areas of the Social Health Master Plan include progress in the application of the Dependence Law and a tendency towards a comprehensive system, where they are functionally located in the health and social sphere to guarantee the healthcare continuity required for people with dependency.

Moreover, the progressive incorporation and/or strengthening of ICTs in social healthcare have been planned, and collaboration and participation in projects from other units and ministries in the health sphere or related areas are also priorities for 2010.