To ask the Minister of Health to detail what specific support is available to unpaid carers of people with dementia to assist them to provide both physical and emotional care.

Unpaid Carers of people with dementia in Northern Ireland have access to a wide range of physical and emotional support services. Each HSC Trust will offer a carers assessment and each Trust has a carer co-ordinator to support carers with a wide range of physical and emotional supports. Praxis care offers a floating support service in the Coleraine, Foyle Londonderry and lisnaskea Fermanagh area. They visit, carers and people living with dementia in their homes to assist with daily tasks and emotional well-being. Respite services can be offered to carers to provide a short break from their caring role. The C&V sector also provide a range of physical and emotional supports to unpaid carers.

Dementia NI runs empower and support group across Northern Ireland allowing carers and people with dementia to share experiences and receive peer support.

Alzheimer’s Society dementia advisors offers awareness sessions to carers

Carers NI provide advice and guidance to unpaid carers with expert information, guidance and support.

A Regional Dementia Project Board was established in May 2024. Its priorities include working collaboratively with all relevant stakeholders to improve services for people with dementia and their carers. It focuses on service delivery within the context of the Regional Dementia care pathway. It has developed a Service User and Carer workstream which will incorporate the voices of service users and carers.

The Reginal Dementia Care Pathway is the current strategic tool that has a number of core values that underpin Dementia care these are Enabling experience, Early intervention, Personalisation and Integration. The pathway adopts a person-centred holistic approach ensuing emotional and social needs are met. There are 5 pillars of the Pathway and the 3rd pillar ‘Living Well with dementia’ promotes emotional well-being through meaningful activities, community engagement and psychological support. It encourages social inclusion and independence to reduce social isolation, maintain dignity and promotes stimulation. The 4th Pillar ‘Coping with Change’ offers emotional and psychological support for both individuals with dementia and their carers. This would include access to support groups, counselling and peer networks to help manage the emotional impact of dementia.

The Department of Health has acknowledged the issue of delays in dementia diagnosis and their impact on the health and social care system. My Department has taken some key actions in recognition of the delays in dementia diagnosis.

My Department has set a 9 -week target for first assessment from referral to memory services and Trusts’ performance continues to be monitored against this target with improvement plans in place to address areas of underperformance.

My Department leads on a number of working groups with Trust Dementia Services personnel to continually seek to make improvements to dementia services within the statutory sector. This includes a focus on service delivery from a new referral through to treatment. Care and support services across the wider multidisciplinary team.

My officials are currently conducting a Dementia Landscape Review for my consideration.