I was pleased to attend the Alzheimer’s Society Parliamentary Reception this week.

While the diagnosis rate in Scunthorpe is 57.9%, meaning many people with dementia are living undiagnosed, the Government is taking action. Sadly my mother suffered from dementia so I have first hand experience of the difficulties facing patients, carers and their families.

Ministers have had a number of recent discussions with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, and NHS England, about patient access to new, licensed treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.

A dedicated team is in place overseeing the NHS’s preparations for the potential arrival of new Alzheimer’s treatments. The team, supported by clinical experts and system leaders, has taken concrete steps to ramp up preparations across the country, for example identifying new clinical pathway requirements and assessing the additional scanning, treatment and safety monitoring capacity that would be needed.

NHS England is also working with partner agencies to support and inform further research into other diagnostic modalities, including blood-based biomarker and digital tests, which may help improve identification and management of Alzheimer’s disease.

The Government is committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the NHS to increase diagnostic capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment in new capacity, including MRI scanners.

I will continue to monitor this issue and back the steps the Government is taking to improve care and support.