Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Dementia Diagnosis Rates

Tuesday 11 February 2025 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Joe Robertson asked the Secretary of State about the rising number of people living with dementia and the importance of early diagnosis.
  • The Secretary of State reiterated the Government's commitment to ensuring at least two thirds of people with dementia receive a diagnosis and highlighted investment in diagnostic services.
  • Jonathan Brash shared a personal story about his father's diagnosis with Alzheimer's and the importance of early detection and treatment.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Joe Robertson Con Isle of Wight East
NHS
Context

The dementia diagnosis rate target was not met for the last five years under the Conservative Government, and it declined over the course of the last Parliament. The number of people living with dementia is expected to rise from nearly 1 million today to 1.4 million by the end of the 2030s.

Question

Nearly 1 million people are living with dementia—it is the biggest cause of death in the country today—and by the end of the 2030s that figure is set to rise to 1.4 million. Early diagnosis is one of the best things we can do to support people living with dementia, so will the Secretary of State explain why the dementia diagnosis target no longer features in NHS England’s priorities, as published two weeks ago? Will he commit to reinstating both dementia and the commitment to a diagnosis target in NHS England’s priority guidelines?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Wes Streeting)

I just restated the Government’s commitment to ensuring that at least two thirds of people living with dementia receive a diagnosis. Our investment and reform agenda will speed up diagnostics across the board. Under the last Government, NHS planning guidance was a wish list of fantasy targets, most of which were never met. As the NHS got worse and worse, they piled on more targets to make themselves look busy. This Government are ending the micromanagement, turning our NHS around and clearing up their mess.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Secretary of State did not provide a specific explanation for why the dementia diagnosis target no longer features in NHS England’s priorities or commit to reinstating it.

How: Ending Micromanagement, Clearing Up Previous Mess

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Q2 Jonathan Brash Lab Hartlepool
NHS Social Care
Context

The Secretary of State met Mr Brash's father, a GP in Hartlepool with Alzheimer’s, during a visit. The Alzheimer’s Society estimates that only 29% of social care workers have any form of dementia training.

Question

My dad was a GP in Hartlepool for over 30 years—the Secretary of State was kind enough to meet him the last time he was in Hartlepool—and he has Alzheimer’s. Every day, I think about why we did not spot the signs early enough to get the treatment that he needed at an earlier stage. The Alzheimer’s Society estimates that only 29% of social care workers have any form of dementia training. Does the Secretary of State agree that it is critical that we up that number and ensure that all social care workers have dementia training, to ensure early diagnosis?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Wes Streeting)

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his question—I know how personal this issue is for him. I was delighted to meet his father on my visit to Hartlepool, and wish him very well. I take very seriously what my hon. Friend has said about the importance of workforce training. He mentioned training for health and social care staff, which is important, but I would argue that the point applies more broadly across our society. On 6 September, the Department launched the adult social care learning and development support scheme, which allows eligible employers to claim for funding for certain training courses and qualifications, including relevant dementia training, for eligible care staff. We will continue to keep this under observation and review.

Answered
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