Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. This statement today is timely, as we are currently in Dementia Awareness Week. I hope everyone is using this week to take action to raise awareness and offer both help and understanding to those who need it.

In October last year, on World Mental Health Day, I was pleased to launch the second delivery plan in support of our 10-year mental health strategy, ‘Together for Mental Health’. A key action within the delivery plan is the development of a dementia strategic action plan. This responds to a key commitment within our programme for government, to make Wales a dementia-friendly nation. We’ve come a long way in realising our commitment to create a dementia-friendly nation, but we recognise there is still more to do. As part of this, we’ve moved forward on developing a new dementia strategic action plan, as promised in ‘Taking Wales Forward’. So, I was pleased to launch the public 12-week consultation at Oldwell Court in Cardiff in January this year.

We should never forget that more people are living longer, and that is something to be celebrated. But, as life expectancy improves, we know more people will develop dementia. And dementia is one of the biggest healthcare challenges our generation faces. It is estimated that between 40,000 and 50,000 people in Wales are currently living with dementia. The impact of dementia in society is much wider when we consider carers and family members. Last year, we announced a number of priority areas on dementia and the steps we would take to address them, including providing more than £8 million of additional funding over the last two years to develop dementia services across Wales. This included work on dementia risk reduction, increasing public awareness, actions to improve diagnosis rates and ensuring support is available to people affected by dementia. And these messages have been built upon throughout our draft action plan. But, to ensure the plan is appropriate, it is crucial that we hear from people living with or affected by dementia, whether in a personal or a professional capacity, so that we understand what matters most to people. We must have a clear way forward to support people with dementia and the people close to them.

The views and experiences shared with us have been instrumental in creating the draft plan. A number of engagement events across Wales took place to hear from people living with dementia, family members, carers, health professionals, voluntary organisations and other people with an interest. This has been undertaken in partnership both with the Alzheimer’s Society and the Dementia Engagement and Empowerment Project, otherwise known as DEEP. Over 1,200 people personally affected by dementia took part throughout the consultation period, and our thanks go to those who have contributed to this work.

As I’ve previously said, no two people with dementia, or the people who support them, will have identical needs. Overwhelming feedback from the engagement undertaken is that people want support and services to be delivered with a rights-based approach, that that support should flexible to the different needs at different stages of living with the condition, and that action demonstrates a whole-pathway approach. Now, the plan supports this approach and contains a number of themes that require further action over the next five years. The themes were informed by feedback from the responses to the ‘Together for Mental Health’ delivery plan consultation in 2016, where dementia was cited, and the engagement with stakeholders undertaken prior to the formal consultation period, as well as from reviewing other relevant dementia strategies. The themes include: raising awareness of how to help people reduce their risk of developing dementia, or delay its onset; raising awareness and understanding of dementia through the expansion of dementia friends and dementia supportive communities and organisations; ensuring dementia is recognised appropriately and sensitively and that people have timely access to assessment and diagnosis; early support and treatment for people with dementia, their carers and families, following diagnosis; and the availability of increased support, whether in a person’s home, in hospital, or in a care home. 

The formal consultation closed on 3 April and we received 119 responses from a variety of stakeholders including the older person’s commissioner, a number of the royal colleges, and key stakeholders such as Care Council for Wales, the Welsh Local Government Association, the Alzheimer’s Society and DEEP. These responses, and feedback from the stakeholder events, are currently being analysed to inform the final report.

Respondents provided suggestions on how the final plan could be improved, and those suggestions included: strengthening the rights-based approach through the whole document; further emphasis of a cross-Government approach to include transport, housing and planning, as well as health and social care aspects; highlighting the importance of allied medical professions in supporting people with dementia and their families or carers; further emphasis and specific actions in relation to supporting people with protected characteristics; more focus on younger-onset dementia, palliative care, peer support and community-led approaches; more support for carers, including adding clear measures for respite provision; and more awareness of support already available, including promoting further the national dementia support helpline. Of course, many respondents also wanted to see a more ambitious diagnosis target. I recognise the importance of this and I’ve agreed that this matter will be kept under review. 

The findings from the consultation will be incorporated appropriately into the final plan, and will be accompanied by a detailed action plan that includes measurable actions and targets to be achieved within the lifetime of the plan. Following a wealth of notable practice being provided within the consultation responses, we will also be publishing a compendium document that highlights practice examples across the pathway so we can learn from what is already happening. It is only by working together we can build a truly dementia-friendly Wales and combat other problems, such as loneliness and isolation. The public consultation has already helped us to learn from people’s experiences and expertise to develop what I’m confident will be a robust, evidence-based action plan.

But I don’t want it to end there. I want to see the third sector taking a more active role in the way services are shaped and delivered in the coming years, which should be a great example of prudent health and care principles in action. I want us to tackle the stigma attached to dementia and take away the fear that many may have through a lack of knowledge and information. We know from our consultation that there are a wealth of community projects spanning the country that look to raise awareness and understanding of dementia and that will help to reduce stigma. I want to see more communities in Wales becoming dementia friendly and provide help and support to all those who need it.

It is my hope, therefore, that at the three-year point of review, I, or my counterpart—whoever is providing the report—can stand up as I am here today and broadcast the progress and changes that we have made towards making Wales a genuinely dementia-friendly nation. I trust that Members from all parties will recognise the work undertaken to produce such a comprehensive document that reflects the voices of many people across Wales. We certainly will be listening to contributions made in today’s statement, ahead of our publishing the final plan in the summer. I want that final plan to be ambitious but achievable, and that we can continue to work in partnership in the future.