What support is available for people who develop young onset dementia?
In 2018 we published the Dementia Action Plan 2018-2022 which outlined our vision for Wales to be a dementia friendly nation. It contained a number of actions required to improve dementia services, including developing a team around the individual approach. In the plan, we recognised that younger people living with dementia often have different needs and were clear that these should be considered across the pathway.
Officials have also been working closely with members of the Dementia Oversight and Implementation Group to consider the impact of the pandemic and as a result have published a companion document entitled: Dementia action plan: strengthening provision in response to COVID-19. This document provides further detail on what we will be focusing on over the next period as we recognise the impact that the pandemic has had on people living with dementia, their families and carers. All actions again will be expected to respond to the different needs of individuals, including those with young onset dementia. We have recently published new All Wales Dementia Pathway of Standards that promote a whole systems integrated care approach which will also support this work.
An additional £10m a year has been provided to support the implementation of the Dementia Action Plan since its commencement in 2018, £9m of which is made available to Regional Partnership Boards (RPBs) to ensure that delivery is integrated across services and focuses on local needs. From this financial year the funding has increased to £12m as further investment has been secured to focus on timely diagnosis and provision of early diagnostic support.
We expect RPBs to report on delivery through published annual reports. Please see the most recently published annual report for both Cardiff and Vale and Cwm Taf Morgannwg. These include information on how both health board are utilising the Dementia Action Plan funding to support services in their areas.
I will shortly be providing a statement on progress against the actions within the Dementia Action Plan 2018-22.