Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people are waiting for an appointment with a Memory Assessment Service for a dementia assessment in Reading West and Mid Berkshire constituency as of 4 November 2024.

NHS England does not hold this information centrally. Lord Darzi’s independent review showed that a timely diagnosis is vital to ensuring that a person with dementia can access the advice, information, care, and support that can help them to live well and remain independent for as long as possible.

The Government is committed to transforming diagnostic services, including the detection and diagnosis of dementia, and will support the National Health Service to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services.

NHS England is committed to recovering the dementia diagnosis rates to the national ambition of 66.7%. This commitment is included in the current NHS priorities and operational planning guidance, reinforcing the importance of dementia as a key priority for the NHS, and providing a clear direction for integrated care boards.

To further reduce waiting times for diagnosis, NHS England has funded an evidence-based improvement project to fund two trusts in each region, 14 sites in total, to pilot the Diagnosing Advanced Dementia Mandate tool to improve the diagnosis of dementia and provision of support in care homes. All pilots completed at the end of May 2024, and it is anticipated that learning will be shared by end of the third quarter of 2024/25.