Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) promote brain health and (b) implement targeted interventions among those most at risk of dementia from South Asian communities.

NHS England’s Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme led the development of resources to raise awareness of the specific dementia care requirements for people from ethnic minority communities to improve access, experience, and outcomes for people living with dementia from these groups.

These were released in May 2023 and include an e-learning module to support clinicians and a refresh of the intercultural dementia care guide, which incorporates considerations around language and communication in the provision of culturally appropriate care. Work to update the guide specifically included focus groups with black African, black Caribbean, and South Asian communities as the largest ethnic minority groups in England.

NHS England’s resource Dementia wellbeing in the COVID-19 pandemic accompanies the Dementia Well Pathway. Key priorities and actions for dementia diagnosis and post diagnostic support are included for each step. The resource highlights the Advancing Mental Health Equalities Toolkit to help provide support in identifying and addressing mental health inequalities.