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 improve dementia diagnosis (a) in Watford and (b) nationally.

Provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). NHS England would expect ICBs, including in Watford, to commission services based on local population needs.

In December 2022, the recovery of the dementia diagnosis rate to the national ambition of 66.7% was included in the National Health Service priorities and operational planning guidance as part of the refined mental health objectives for 2023/24. This reinforces the importance of dementia as a key priority for NHS England and provides a clear direction for ICBs to support delivery of timely diagnoses within systems.