Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent funding his Department has allocated to improve dementia diagnosis and care services in Essex.

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 National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

NHS Essex ICB uses a population health approach to determine how National Health Service funding is allocated across Essex, with funding decisions shaped by local population need, deprivation, inequalities, demand trends, and clinical outcomes. In practice, as part of developing its commissioning intentions, the ICB uses analysis of the following to support decision making of funding:

• prevalence of physical and mental health conditions;
• levels of depravation and health inequalities;
• demographic growth and aging populations; and
• access gaps between communities.

The dementia diagnostic diagnosis rate in Essex is currently at 69.20%, which is above the estimated diagnostic rate of 66.7% (national target), and above 66.30%, which is the current England average performance.