Government Sets Out Ambitious Plans to Improve Dementia Care, Diagnosis and Research
The Government has reaffirmed its commitment to improving dementia care, diagnosis and research, outlining a series of measures designed to enhance support for people living with dementia, their families and carers.
Speaking during Dementia Action Week last month, Care Minister Stephen Kinnock highlighted ongoing work across health and social care, including plans for a new national dementia leadership role, increased investment in clinical trials and the development of a new framework aimed at raising standards of care.
The minister’s comments followed an event hosted by Alzheimer’s Society, which brought together healthcare professionals, researchers, industry representatives and people with lived experience of dementia.
Central to the Government’s plans is the development of a new Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia, which aims to deliver improvements in quality of care, reduce regional variations in service provision and address inequalities experienced by people living with dementia and frailty.
The framework will establish national standards for dementia care and is intended to help reshape NHS priorities to ensure patients receive timely and effective support. Ministers have acknowledged ongoing concerns around lengthy waiting times for diagnosis in some parts of the country and say the framework will examine interventions to improve access to assessment and diagnosis.
The framework is being developed with support from the Frailty and Dementia Modern Service Framework Task and Finish Group, an advisory body comprising experts from across the health and care sector. An interim version is expected to be published in September, with the full framework due before the end of the year.
The Government has also welcomed recommendations from the independent commission into adult social care, led by Baroness Louise Casey, which is examining reforms as part of wider plans to create a National Care Service.
Alongside service reform, workforce development remains a key focus. Ministers have stated that all health and care staff should receive appropriate training to deliver high-quality dementia care.
The Department of Health and Social Care’s Adult Social Care Learning and Development Support Scheme, launched in September 2024, provides funding for eligible care staff to undertake qualifications, including the Level 2 Adult Social Care Certificate. The programme includes several courses specifically focused on dementia care and support.
Research and innovation are also receiving significant investment. The UK continues to support major dementia research initiatives through organisations including the UK Dementia Research Institute and the National Institute for Health and Care Research Biomedical Research Centres.
The Government’s Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals Programme has access to funding of up to £150 million to accelerate advances in biomarkers, clinical trials and implementation of new treatments. Of this total, £33 million has already been allocated to projects aimed at developing and validating biomarkers that could support earlier and more accurate diagnosis.
Plans are also progressing for the creation of a new Neurodegeneration Initiative, a not-for-profit public-private partnership bringing together government, industry, academia, the NHS and the voluntary sector. The initiative is intended to streamline the delivery of clinical trials and accelerate the development of new treatments.
Further support is being provided through the Research and Development Missions Accelerator Programme, which is working with industry and academic partners to identify and implement innovations across health and social care settings. A key ambition is to ensure that by 2029 at least 92 per cent of patients referred for dementia assessment receive a diagnosis within 18 weeks.
Additionally, the Department of Health and Social Care, through the NIHR, has invested almost £50 million in the UK Dementia Trials Network to help speed up the delivery of early-stage dementia clinical trials.
A further proposal is the creation of a dedicated national dementia leadership role within the Department of Health and Social Care. The position would oversee dementia prevention, treatment and care, while helping to drive forward the Government’s ambition to place the UK at the forefront of dementia research and treatment development.
The Government says it will consider how best to structure the role, drawing on lessons learned from similar national leadership positions, including the Cancer Tsar model.
With dementia remaining one of the UK’s greatest health and social care challenges, ministers have stressed that meaningful progress will require continued collaboration between government, health and care providers, researchers, charities and families.
However, they argue that the combination of service reform, workforce development and research investment provides an opportunity to significantly improve outcomes for people living with dementia in the years ahead.
