Written question WQ83095

In 2018 we published the Dementia Action Plan 2018-2022 which outlined our vision for Wales to become a dementia friendly nation. It outlined a number of actions required to improve dementia services, including developing a team around the individual approach.

To support the implementation of the Action Plan, an additional £10m a year has been provided to support its implementation. £9m of this funding is being made available to Regional Partnership Boards (RPBs) to ensure that delivery is integrated across services, and focused on meeting local need. We expect RPBs to report on delivery through published annual reports. The most recently published annual report for the Gwent Region can be found here.

We recognise the pressure on diagnostic services and the current difficulties with access. We have committed an extra £3m in 2020/21 to support memory assessment services. RPBs have submitted proposals for this funding which are currently being assessed by officials.

Officials have been working closely with members of the Dementia Oversight and Implementation Group to consider the impact of the pandemic and to agree recovery priorities for the next 12 months. Further information about the additional actions we are taking will be available in a companion document to the Dementia Action Plan that will be published shortly.

In the autumn, I will be providing an oral statement on progress against the actions within the Dementia Action Plan 2018-22.