Written question WQ92725

The Welsh Government have commissioned Improvement Cymru to deliver a dementia programme that provides support to health and social care colleagues, through the established Regional Partnership Boards. The dementia programme has 5 work streams; Community Engagement, Memory Assessment Services, Dementia Connector, Hospital Charter and Workforce Development & Measurement. These are all aimed at supporting consistent practice and where appropriate, ‘once for Wales’ approaches. Improvement Cymru host a number of resources, including their work plan, on their webpages for those working with people living with dementia.

A key component of the dementia programme has been the establishment of the All Wales Dementia Care Pathway of Standards. The pathway standards were published by Improvement Cymru in 2021, following extensive engagement with individuals living with dementia, carers, voluntary organisations and health and care professionals. The co-produced pathway promotes a whole systems integrated care approach with each region’s dementia board having the standards as a core agenda for advancing dementia care locally.

The Welsh Government continues to provide £12m to Regional Partnership Boards annually, through Regional Integration Funding (RIF), to support the implementation of the Dementia Action Plan vision and to develop a joint health and social care approach to dementia support. All projects in receipt of Dementia Action Plan RIF funding must ensure their work aligns with the standards.

The Welsh Government also provides funding for the National Consultant Allied Health Professional Lead for Dementia role. A key aspect of the role includes providing advice and support to health boards and local authorities to drive forward service improvements and share practice in order to support consistent practice across Wales.