Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister of Health to detail any steps his Department is taking to support early diagnosis for individuals with dementia.
Minister of Health: The Department recognises that early diagnosis of dementia is critical in ensuring individuals and their families can access appropriate care, support and treatment at the earliest possible stage.
The Department continues to work with Health and Social Care (HSC) Trusts to improve timely access to diagnosis via memory clinics. The Department monitors Trusts’ performance for initial assessment at memory clinics and initiates performance management meetings if Trust performance falls below acceptable levels.
Work is ongoing to enhance the skills and capacity of the multidisciplinary workforce to support with diagnosis. It is acknowledged that there are challenges in recruitment and retention of the Psychiatry workforce which is impacting on time to diagnosis.
The Department continues to engage with the Royal College of Psychiatry on this issue. Consideration is currently being given to introducing the advanced practitioner role into memory services which will support with diagnosis.
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