General debate on dementia research in the UK

Dementia is not a single disease; it is a general term used to describe the deterioration of cognitive functioning. Symptoms of dementias can vary in severity and progress through multiple stages. They include difficulties with thinking, problem-solving, remembering and making decisions, to the extent that daily activities can become challenging. Some people with dementia may also find it hard to control their emotions and aspects of their personality may change. Currently, there is no cure for dementia, though there are medicines and treatments that can help manage some of the symptoms.

The Government has made multiple policy commitments relating to dementia. An overview can be found in the Commons Library briefing on Dementia: policy, services and statistics overview (May 2021). Two key policy documents are the Prime Minister’s Challenge on Dementia and the Conservative Party Manifesto 2019. The NHS Long Term Plan, published on 7 January 2019, also commits the NHS in England to continuing to improve the care provided to people with dementia, whether they are in a hospital, care home, or their own home.

Research funding commitments for dementia research, made by the Government, include “doubling research funding into dementia and speeding up trials for new treatments” (often referred to as the ‘Dementia Moonshot’). In its report – Fuelling the Moonshot: Unleashing the UK’s potential (opens PDF) – the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Dementia called on the Government to accelerate the delivery of the Dementia Moonshot and to “establish a timetable” for the Dementia Moonshot funding to be brought forward.