Written question asked by Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour) on Tuesday, 14 November 2023, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 28 November 2023. It was answered by Lord Markham (Conservative) on Tuesday, 28 November 2023 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Dementia: Diagnosis

Question: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Alzheimer's Research UK report Tipping Point: The Future of Dementia, published in September, whether they have any plans with the NHS to conduct a national clinical trial of blood tests to support the development of methods to promote the diagnosis of dementia at different stages of its development.

Answer: There are no current plans to conduct a national clinical trial of blood tests. The National Health Service is working in partnership with the Government established Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Mission, which has a national leadership role working with academic and industry partners to discover, validate and operationalise a suite of clinically actionable and decision-enabling biomarkers. Alongside the very welcome linked investments being made in research by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and charities, it is hoped that validated Alzheimer’s blood tests will become available for use in front line NHS care in the next few years.

Secondary information