People with dementia will be able to access the right information and support in the community when a new specialist service launches in east and west Suffolk this spring.

NHS Ipswich and East Suffolk and NHS West Suffolk clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), together with Suffolk County Council, have commissioned Sue Ryder and three other organisations to deliver the new-look dementia service in collaboration with other local organisations from April 1.

Developed together with patients, carers and other stakeholders, Dementia Together aims to help people access support which better meets their needs and allows them to live independently for longer.

Dementia Together will be open to people at all stages of the illness and their families or carers, from those who are worried about memory loss and need advice to people with a long-standing diagnosis who are nearing the end of their lives.

People will be able to access Dementia Together through one point of contact, in turn making it easier to get them the right help at the right time and preventing them from reaching crisis point.

This could include information, help from a trained advisor, a community-based support group or chat with an expert, depending on the individual service users needs.

The new service will also work to raise people's awareness of the signs of dementia so that as many people as possible ask for help and an early stage.

Sue Ryder will deliver the service in partnership with Norfolk and Suffolk Dementia Alliance, the University of Suffolk and Purple Tuesday, who will be developing a dedicated user-friendly website linked to the service.

Jo Marshall, Sue Ryder neurological centre director, said: 'We are very excited to be working together with such a range of organisations - what unites us is a shared passion to make a positive difference to the lives of people who are affected by dementia including family carers.

'We hope our joined up approach will mean people will not have to keep retelling their story and lead us to deliver a high quality service.'

The new service will replace the existing post-diagnostic dementia support offer for people in east and west Suffolk, which is due to end on 31 March.