Dementia action plan: progress update October 2025

Work is progressing on the successor to the dementia action plan and we are using the published evaluation of the dementia action plan to inform our approach to this work.

We are committed to co-production of the new plan, and the involvement of partners and people with lived experience throughout. This is not a quick process and nor should it be, this is a long-term journey to optimise care and support for people living with dementia. This is ongoing and has included attendance at a number of events and through a public questionnaire which is being used shape our engagement activities for the successor dementia action plan.

We intend to publish a consultation document towards the end of this calendar year, informed by this work and the continued engagement with stakeholders.

Work on developing the governance for the successor to the dementia action plan is progressing, including a focus on the structure, membership and output of our engagement and accountability groups.

We recently re-established the "Welsh language and dementia sub-group" and in our meetings we discussed the evaluation of the dementia action plan and heard from members’ experiences of dementia care and the Welsh language. The group will use this information to  provide their key priorities for the new dementia action plan. Similarly, work is underway to refocus the activity of the learning and development group to support the development and implementation of the new plan.

As we look to the future, the new plan will place a strong emphasis on continuous improvement and innovation in the field of dementia. We are exploring the creation of a dedicated innovation and research group. The group will be comprised of:

• researchers
• technology experts
• clinical leaders
• individuals with lived experience

The aim of the group is to promote innovation in dementia care, support research initiatives and ensure new evidence-based practices are integrated into the dementia action plan and its delivery plans.

Brain health is an emerging theme, and we’re increasingly aware of the modifiable factors that play a role in dementia. We will be looking to incorporate these insights into broader health messaging going forward.

In July, the Public Health Network Cymru hosted a webinar, Brain health and dementia risk reduction, asking the question, "how can we affect change?". The event was attended by 190 people, with representation from health boards, local authorities, third sector and Public Health Wales.

Presentations included a discussion on the prevention-based health and care framework, developed by Public Health Wales and published in May this year. The framework provides a systematic approach to understand the actions required to achieve specific prevention goals. Andrew Rogers, lecturer in Public Health, then gave a presentation on targeting prevention in community health promotion.

This was followed by an update from Natalie Elliott, National Consultant Allied Health Professional (AHP) Lead for Dementia, on brain health and dementia prevention. The update included the AHP dementia framework, brain health optimisation clinics, a course on mild cognitive impairment, as well as resources such as "having compassionate conversations".

Compassionate conversations programme

The compassionate conversations programme, developed in Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, aims to support Allied Health Professionals to meet the increasingly diverse and complex needs of modern healthcare. Built around principles of compassion, self-care and motivational interviewing, the programme has produced a range of resources and training packages to support healthcare professionals to raise, briefly discuss and signpost members of the public about a variety of health and wellbeing topics.

A national group of professionals and people with lived experience of dementia have co-produced a resource about brain health and dementia risk reduction that was launched in July. This resource raises awareness about the 14 risk factors for dementia and provides health and care professionals with information to build confidence in discussing brain health and dementia risk reduction.

National Centre for Learning Welsh and Welsh Government dementia project

Welsh Government officials are working with the National Centre for Learning Welsh to develop specific resources and a scheme to support those working with people with dementia.

Funding has been provided to create a specific Welsh learning programme for professionals in this field and ensure that suitable "learn Welsh" resources are available. It will include the promotion of tailor-made online self-study courses, along with support from a Welsh language tutor developed specifically for those working with people with dementia. This will lead to a better awareness of the importance of using the language with patients and increase the use itself. Various elements of the programme will give individuals with little or no Welsh to learn basic words to use with patients and families under their care.

There will also be an opportunity for individuals who have some Welsh but no confidence to use it to make greater use of it in the care of patients and their families.

For further information regarding the scheme, contact:

• swyddfa@dysgucymraeg.cymru
• hss.welshlanguagepolicyteam@gov.wales

Validation of Welsh language cognitive assessment tools

In April 2025, Welsh Government published a report on the findings from the first stage of research into the validation of cognitive assessment tools (CATs) that have been translated into Welsh. This research aimed to establish a comprehensive evaluation framework to aid in accurate dementia diagnosis among Welsh-speaking individuals. The work involved:

• a review of UK dementia assessment guidelines
• pan-Wales engagement with stakeholders to identify the most used CATs in memory assessment services in Wales
• an examination of the psychometric properties of the CATs that have been translated into Welsh

The work also involved identifying strategies to collect high-quality data on the most used Welsh language CATs to ensure they are validated and can be reliably interpreted in clinical settings.

The report highlights the progress made in validating Welsh language CATs and lays the groundwork for future efforts to ensure accurate and culturally appropriate dementia diagnoses, ultimately improving care for those affected in Wales.

The review, conducted between February and May 2022, involved a systematic examination of UK guidelines that endorse the use of CATs in various dementia care settings, including initial GP assessments, MAS, acute care settings, and care homes across Wales. The review examined the psychometric properties and characteristics of each test mentioned in the UK guidelines.

Stakeholder engagement activities were undertaken between November 2021 and March 2023 and aimed to raise awareness about the research and develop a collaborative approach with MAS and other stakeholders. Several public discussions, presentations and meetings to exchange knowledge were arranged among:

• professionals working in the field of dementia care
• people with experience of living with dementia and their carers
• the academic research community
• members of the public

Around 30 stakeholders, including representatives from organisations such as Alzheimer’s Society Cymru, Bangor University, and Public Health Wales, contributed to defining the scope of the stage one research and informed the recommended methodology for subsequent stages.

The findings of stage 1 established the methodology requirements and set the foundation for subsequent stages of validation work. Future research should build upon these findings to ensure the development of robust, culturally, and linguistically appropriate CATs for Welsh speaking individuals.

The report concluded with a number of recommendations for the next stage of research. Recommendations included prioritising the validation of the ACE-III and Mini-ACE in Welsh, interviewing MAS practitioners and conducting field observations. Longer-term recommendations included:

• conducting a pilot study for clinical data collection
• normative data collection
• ongoing stakeholder engagement
• producing guidance for practitioners

These recommendations will be fed into the consultation process for the successor to the dementia action plan.

Accessible communication and information standards

The accessible communication and information standards were launched in September 2025. In 2023, the Welsh Government reviewed the effectiveness of the all-Wales standards for accessible communication and information for people with sensory loss, and explored the barriers faced by people when accessing healthcare. Welsh Government collaborated closely and extensively with representatives from all NHS Wales bodies and external partners. As a result of this work, recommendations and actions were developed that aimed at removing barriers and ensuring the communication and information needs of patients, service users, parents and carers are consistently met.

The renewed standards now include:

• patients whose main language is not English or Welsh
• patients who have language and communication barriers due to disability, dementia, mental health conditions or learning difficulties
• patients who have language and communication barriers arising from neurodivergence
• patients who have language and communication barriers arising from low literacy
• parents and carers (of patients) who have language or communication barriers

The standards are also accompanied by:

• the standard operating procedure (SOP) for commissioning interpretation and translation services in primary and emergency healthcare
• the accessible information standard (AIS) for GP practices

The SOP is a comprehensive guidance document for NHS staff to ensure that consistent standards are upheld when commissioning interpretation or translation services.

The AIS directs and defines a specific and consistent approach to identifying, recording, flagging, sharing and meeting the information and communication needs of patients, service users, carers and parents for GP practices. The AIS was issued via a Welsh Health Circular in 2018 and has been integrated into the revised standards for consistency.

Improving diagnosis rates and enabling the availability of diagnosis data remains a priority area. We have updated our guidance for health boards to assist with the recording of a diagnosis of dementia.

This work has been supported by the quality, safety and improvement division of NHS Wales Performance and Improvement. They have developed a series of "bite size dementia diagnosis rates communication resources", to increase dementia awareness and recording of dementia diagnostic rates.

There is evidence that hearing loss and dementia often occur together and impact on each other (Livingstone et al. 2017). For a person with dementia, hearing loss can cause extra problems, such as confusion about what's happening around them and problems with communication (Dementia UK 2021). There is currently a risk that individuals with suspected or confirmed dementia have undiagnosed and unmanaged hearing loss which is impacting on their quality of life (Dawes 2019). The lancet commission found evidence that undiagnosed and unmanaged hearing loss in mid-life has been identified as a potentially modifiable risk factor for dementia.

An all Wales dementia hearing loss pathway has been developed by audiologists to describe the pathway for patients with diagnosed or suspected dementia. This includes from access to hearing assessment through to ongoing monitoring and management of hearing loss, ensuring equal access to services and support across Wales.

We frequently work across teams to ensure that dementia is both embedded in other pieces of work and that we learn from this.

A recent example is highlighted in the national action plan to prevent abuse of older people 2025 update report.