Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the findings of the Alzheimer's Society that (1) spending on dementia diagnosis and treatment is equivalent to just 1.4 per cent of total dementia healthcare costs, and (2) social care costs and unpaid care costs constitute 40 and 50 per cent of the total economic costs of dementia respectively.

Baroness Casey’s Commission on the establishment of a new National Care Service continues to look specifically at what can be done to improve the diagnosis and treatment of dementia, and to provide greater support both to individuals living with dementia, and to the loved ones who care for them.

On 8 October, the Government announced the investment of £33 million through the Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals programme, alongside funding from Bristol Myers Squibb, GSK, and Gates Ventures, to increase the recruitment of people into clinical studies for new dementia treatments, thereby speeding up clinical trials and bringing promising new treatments to patients faster.

We have also committed to deliver the first ever Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia which aims to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. We aim to publish the full modern service framework by the end of this calendar year, and appoint a dedicated Dementia Tsar to drive progress in this area, both based on Baroness Casey’s recommendations.