What steps will the Minister take to ensure memory clinics have the capacity to undertake catch up work as lockdown is eased ?
Welsh Government has supported health boards, local authorities and the third sector to continue to provide support to those in receipt of dementia services, ensuring that funding remains available to enable services to adapt to the current situation. This includes the release of the Integrated Care Funding monies allocated to Regional Partnership Board (RPBs) to support the implementation of the Dementia Action Plan. Applications for funding from the National Dementia Pot have been reinstated and officials are considering a number of bids to provide further support for people living with dementia as we enter the recovery period.
However it is recognised that certain services such as memory assessment clinics have not been able to continue to operate as usual during the lockdown due in part to Covid related restrictions. We continue to monitor older people’s mental health community services as part of the regular mental health monitoring tool information received from health boards, which includes assurance that urgent dementia assessments are undertaken. Responses to the tool provide assurance that these services are still operational. It is clear that as lockdown is eased there will be a need for memory assessment clinics to step up their activity, not only to catch up on the typical levels of need but also potentially to meet additional need that has been identified during the lockdown period.
Local Health Boards have been given additional flexibility within their core budgets in order to address needs arising from COVID-19, and Welsh Government is clear in our expectation that services are able to utilise some of this flexibility to ensure that memory assessment clinics are able to meet increased levels of demand. Health Boards are now being asked to provide quarterly updates on their operational framework, which includes updates on how services will operate within the context of Covid and as part of this assessment we will be specifically looking at memory assessment services. If issues with the capacity of memory assessment clinics are identified through this process, we would expect this to be addressed by utilising the current funding flexibility provided to respond to the pandemic, for instance the Integrated Care Fund monies, which support the implementation of the dementia action plan.
Officials are preparing to issue a questionnaire seeking an update on the Dementia Action Plan that will focus on changes to services and how a return to normal levels will be managed. This will include information on Memory Assessment Clinics.
Officials are also exploring the mechanisms for the reporting of the dementia diagnosis rate across Wales. This information is currently provided on an annual basis, but COVID-19 has emphasised the need for this data to be available on a more regular basis.