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 ensure the sustainability of (a) funding and (b) support for dementia treatment facilities.

Presently, there are limited treatment options for people with dementia. Some drugs can modify symptoms in some cases but there are currently no disease-modifying treatments approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for use in the National Health Service, and so care is predominantly provided through social care rather than the NHS.

The provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). We expect ICBs to commission services based on local population needs, taking account of the NICE’s guidelines.

Local authorities are required to provide or arrange services that meet the social care needs of the local population, including carers, under the Care Act 2014. The Government is making available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025/26, which includes an £880 million increase in the Social Care Grant.

We have also launched an independent commission into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service. The commission forms a key part of the Government’s Plan for Change, recognising the importance of adult social care in its own right, as well as its role in supporting the NHS. As part of this work, we will consider how best to meet the needs of people, including those with dementia.

The NHS is a world leader in rolling out innovative treatments, including personalised cancer and life-saving gene therapies, and has established a dedicated programme team to prepare the NHS for the potential arrival of new Alzheimer’s treatments that are approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and determined to be clinically and cost-effective by the NICE.