Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his 10-year plan for dementia will include provisions to recover the dementia diagnosis rate to pre-pandemic levels.

Timely diagnosis of dementia is vital to ensure that a person with dementia can access the advice, information, care and support that can help them to live well with the condition and remain independent for as long as possible.

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 integrated care boards to ensure support for delivery of timely diagnoses within systems, enabling access to appropriate post-diagnostic support.