Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance entitled Dementia: assessment, management and support for people living with dementia and their carers, published on 20 June 2018, what assessment his Department has made of whether Memory Assessment Services have sufficient capacity to offer lumbar punctures for the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.

No specific assessment has been made. NHS England is currently exploring what pathways, processes and equipment might best support future disease modifying treatments, including for Alzheimer’s disease. Any decision on the potential scale of testing infrastructure to support the administration of Lecanemab will take account of numerous factors including whether Lecanemab is determined by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to be a clinically and cost-effective National Health Service treatment option.