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 safeguard patients with (a) dementia and (b) other illnesses in the context of the changing way the NHS is having to treat and correspond with patients as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

During the pandemic, NHS England and NHS Improvement’s guidance to primary care systems stated that a blended approach to appointments should be maintained, using both face to face and remote consultation as per the needs of the patient. This guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2021/10/BW999-our-plan-for-improving-access-and-supporting-general-practice-oct-21.pdf

We continue to work with stakeholders and health and care system partners to identify and implement actions to support people with dementia and their carers, including modifying dementia diagnosis and care pathways.