Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential merits of including a dementia diagnosis pathway in the Modern Service Framework for Dementia and Frailty.

In developing the Modern Service Framework (MSF) for Frailty and Dementia, we are engaging with a wide group of partners to understand what should be included to ensure the best outcomes for people living with frailty and dementia.

We will consider what interventions should be supported to improve diagnosis waiting times, which we know are too long in many areas. We are considering all options to help reduce variation, including reviewing metrics and targets.

We will also review existing guidance and literature, including the Dementia 100 pathway assessment tool, which continues the work of the Dementia Care Pathway and covers all elements of the Well Pathway, including diagnosis.

We are working to develop the content of the framework as soon as possible and we will keep partners updated on progress and timings as this work unfolds. We are committed to publishing an interim product in September this year to feed into National Health Service and local government planning cycles, and will aim to publish the full MSF by the end of this calendar year.