To ask the Minister of Health to detail (i) the number of people currently waiting for an initial memory assessment; (ii) the average waiting time; (iii) the longest current waiting time; and (iv) the number of people waiting longer than the nine-week target, broken down by Health and Social Care Trust,

Data is not currently collected regarding average waiting time.

Belfast HSC Trust and South Eastern HSC Trust have very traditional consultant led models for memory assessment, unlike the other HSC Trusts who have a multidisciplinary memory assessment model, and this is a contributory factor to the numbers waiting and length of waits for memory assessment in these two Trusts, as there is a finite medical resource. Northern HSC Trust has the largest population of older people in Northern Ireland which is a contributory factor to their numbers waiting and the length of waits for memory assessment.

Through the Support and Intervention Framework, my Department is taking steps to reduce the significant waiting times currently experienced for memory assessment services, thereby supporting more timely access to assessment and intervention.

My Department has convened a regional Dementia Encompass Group to focus on enhancing the availability and analysis of data relating to dementia activity levels and waiting times to diagnosis. This will support a more comprehensive understanding of demand, capacity and performance across services and strengthen my Department’s ability to use data to drive service improvement, support earlier diagnosis and ensure that dementia services are responsive to the needs of patients and their families.