Dementia Matters faces closure as funding threat looms, James Evans tells First Minister

James Evans is calling for the Welsh Government to help provide more support for dementia sufferers and their families.  (Video from Senedd.tv)

Transcript

00:00 in my constituency called Dementia Matters, and they undertake vital work with helping

00:04 patients and their families. As you are aware, my constituency is home to a growing elderly

00:09 population with average numbers of dementia patients going up year on year. But despite

00:14 the great work that Dementia Matters is doing, they are currently facing the threat of closure

00:19 due to a lack of funding. I reached out to the Paris Teaching Health Board and the Rural

00:23 Partnership Board on this matter because I was aware there was a surplus budget in their

00:27 funding this year. However, for some reason, I cannot get to the bottom of Dementia Matters

00:32 in Powys cannot access that funding. So, First Minister, I would like to ask whether you

00:37 and the Deputy Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing would like to come and visit

00:40 Dementia Matters in my constituency? Also, on the second point, I am not asking for more

00:45 money, but what pressure can the Welsh Government put on the regional partnership board to make

00:50 sure that any surplus budget goes on supporting people with dementia in my constituency?

00:54 Well, Llywydd, I thank James Evans for drawing attention to the issue of Dementia Matters,

01:03 which I know does fantastic work in his constituency and more broadly. I have made some inquiries

01:11 into the issues that the Member has raised this afternoon. I cannot promise that the

01:19 local decisions will be ones that the organisation would be content with, but what I can do is

01:26 to make sure that Dementia Matters make their case directly to those who make those decisions

01:33 and have their chance to have their case heard. I've talked with a Minister earlier today.

01:40 Welsh Government officials will intervene to make sure that, if Dementia Matters fail,

01:45 they've not been able to have those conversations, they've not been able to put that case to

01:50 those who have the funding, then we will make sure that they have that opportunity.

01:57 And while I've no idea if there is any surplus money, it would be very unusual in my experience,

02:04 it is the case that, as well as the £12 million that goes to support the Dementia Action Plan

02:10 directly, in the first year of the regional investment fund, £26.5 million went to the

02:19 third sector and analogous organisations, and there's a commitment to spend 20% of the

02:24 fund in that way. I want to make sure Dementia Matters has its opportunity to make its case

02:31 for part of that funding. After that, the decisions are made quite properly elsewhere.

02:37 We'll make sure that that opportunity is delivered to them.