Campaign reply - It's time to invest in dementia diagnosis and research

Thank you for contacting my office. I very much appreciate you getting in touch about dementia research.

I understand that diagnosis of dementia, including Alzheimer’s, can be devastating and I was proud to stand on a manifesto that committed to making finding a cure for dementia one of the Government's biggest collective priorities through the Dementia Moonshot. 

Currently, the NHS Health Check programme aims to raise awareness of the risk factors that affect both heart and brain health. This aims to prevent a range of health issues, including some cases of dementia, among adults aged 40 to 74 years old. 

The 2020 Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention found that 40 per cent of worldwide cases could be down to risk factors that we may be able to influence and I pay tribute to the work that the Alzheimer's Society is doing to raise awareness of the importance of good brain health.  I would certainly be happy to raise the profile of the importance of this issue in Parliament at the earliest opportunity.

I look forward to the publication of the Government's plans on dementia for England later this year. The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities is contributing to the development of this new strategy, which will include a focus on prevention and risk reduction. The concept of brain health in encouraging people to reduce their dementia risk is also being explored.

Thank you once again for getting in touch, and if I can be of further assistance with any other matter, please do not hesitate to contact me.