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 end geographical disparities in dementia care.

Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for services and support for people with dementia. We expect CCGs to commission services that take into account relevant guidance, including the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidelines and the Dementia Care Pathway, which sets out benchmarks to improve the delivery and quality of care and support.

Public Health England has published factsheets for CCGs to understand local patterns and potential reasons for trends in dementia diagnosis rates, as well as identifying specific areas for support. In addition, £17 million has been made available to CCGs to address the needs of those waiting for diagnosis and those who have a diagnosis but are unable to access support services due to the pandemic.