Seán Haughey
Question:158. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Health the additional investment that is being provided for the development of dementia services in 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59235/21]
View answerFriday, 3 December 2021
Questions (158)
Written answers
I am, along with Government as a whole, committed to ensuring that those living with dementia have access to the right services and supports to help them to live well in their communities.
I was delighted to secure an additional allocation of €7.3 million in Budget 2022 for dementia services. I am confident that this investment will continue to improve diagnosis and access to services for people with dementia across the country .
The Health Service Executive’s National Service Plan 2022 has not yet been finalised and, as such, the sub-allocation has yet to be formally agreed. The details will be finalised over the coming weeks with the HSE through the National Service Plan process. However, as previously announced areas for investment will include memory assessment and support services, memory technology resource rooms, the national intellectual disability memory service and a dementia registry.
In addition to the €7.3m, the proportion of new home support hours ringfenced for people with dementia will more than double from 5% in 2021 to 11% in 2022.
Taken together, this will represent 15 million euro of investment dedicated to dementia in 2022, on top of the €12.9million of additional funding in 2021.
As the Deputy is aware I have long been an advocate for the development of services for people with dementia and their families and I am delighted to be able to continue the focused investment in these services and supports.