Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the diagnosis of dementia is (a) more accurate and (b) given at the earliest opportunity.

NHS England and NHS Improvement are continuing to encourage memory assessment services to provide safe and person-centred assessment and diagnosis for dementia, via remote methods or in face-to-face consultations as appropriate. To ensure accurate diagnosis, webinars and guidance have been provided to support evolving best practice and an approach to diagnosis that supports patient choice.

To ensure early diagnosis, the Government has made £17 million available this financial year to NHS England and NHS Improvement to reduce dementia waiting lists and increase the number of diagnoses.