There was fresh hope tonight that a key diagnosis target could be reinstated in Labour’s dementia plan after the Daily Mail revealed it had been cut to save costs.Samantha Jones, the top civil servant in the Department of Health and Social Care, sought to calm fears by stressing the blueprint is ‘not yet agreed’ and could change before it is published later this year.Her comments to the Commons health and social care committee came as Tory MP Joe Robertson expressed dismay that dementia patients could be denied the same right to timely care as those with heart disease or cancer.He called on health secretary James Murray to enshrine the right to a dementia diagnosis within 18 weeks of a referral to a memory clinic in the ‘modern service framework’ for dementia and frailty.Addressing the minister, who was making his first appearance in front of the Committee, he said: ‘I urge you, please include that 18-week diagnosis target, because it’s Britain’s biggest killer, and it does apply to other big killers.’Michelle Dyson, the chief executive of Alzheimer’s Society, this week warned the dementia plan will not be ‘worth the paper it is written on’ after the target was removed from a recent draft despite appearing in an earlier version.The lack of a firm target means services could be cut back, with more patients left waiting months or years while their condition worsens, she added.In some instances this could mean they become too far progressed to benefit from breakthrough drugs, which must be taken in the early stages of disease. Tory MP Joe Robertson expressed dismay that dementia patients could be denied the same right to timely care as those with heart disease or cancer.Everyone experiences dementia differently. Use this checklist to help you make a note of your symptoms before you talk to your GP.She also accused the NHS of treating dementia patients as ‘second-class citizens’ who are ‘cast aside’ and typically sent home with little more than a leaflet.Ms Dyson, who was previously a senior official in DHSC, said the framework was supposed to be a ten-year plan to transform care for the 1million people in the UK living with the disease.But said she now has ‘very little confidence’ in the document because the ambition appears to be ‘extremely low’.Samantha Jones, permanent secretary at DHSC, said the framework had involved ‘many people, including Michelle herself, from a social care perspective’.But she admitted the plan was still unfinished, telling the Committee: ‘It is not yet agreed in terms of the formula of what the MSF will look like from a dementia perspective.’Ms Jones added that the framework was only ‘one part of a broader package of measures’ being taken on dementia, including drug trials and the appointment of a ‘dementia czar, so to speak, to hold us to account’.The Daily Mail and Alzheimer's Society have partnered in a drive to defeat dementia, which claims 76,000 lives a year as Britain’s biggest killer.The Defeating Dementia campaign aims to raise awareness of the disease, in an effort to increase early diagnosis, boost research and improve care. Michelle Dyson, chief executive of Alzheimer's Society, has claimed the NHS treats dementia patients 'as second-class citizens'.Speaking after the Committee, Mr Robertson told the Daily Mail: ‘The Government must include the 18 week diagnosis target in this influential document designed to improve dementia care. Campaign aims: How to cut deaths from biggest killer Know your risks: Have your hearing and blood pressure checked. See a GP about memory loss. Get your mid-life health check.Know your rights: Everyone has the right to an accurate dementia diagnosis. After diagnosis, demand a named professional to oversee your care, insist on NICE-approved treatments and ask about opportunities to take part in research.You are entitled to an annual care plan review from your GP and a carer's assessment from your local council. You should also check your eligibility for benefits including attendance allowance.Demand government action: Britain needs a fully trained social care workforce. It needs targets for early and accurate diagnosis, and an NHS ready to deliver tests and treatments for Alzheimer's disease.Treat dementia like cancer: There is no long-running campaign to raise awareness. A third of those with dementia have no diagnosis and there aren't consistent treatment pathways. The cost of dementia care falls mostly on families, while cancer care is NHS-funded. ‘Dementia is the UK's biggest killer and we need a standardised target which applies everywhere just like for cancer and other major diseases.‘Without it, services will continue to be poor, inconsistent or non-existent in too many places.‘That means people and families will be left to suffer alone at the hands of this cruel disease.‘The Government must do the right thing and I back the Alzheimer's Society and Daily Mail's campaign.’Reacting to the hearing, Ms Dyson said: ‘The Modern Service Framework is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform dementia care.‘We urge the government to show real ambition for the million people affected by dementia today, and for everyone who will be diagnosed in the future.‘People with dementia deserve a prompt diagnosis and access to the right treatment, care and support when they can most benefit.‘That's why we need to see, at a minimum, an 18-week target from referral to diagnosis, with everyone receiving a care plan and appropriate treatment.‘This is the government's chance to deliver meaningful change across the next decade.’The Department of Health and Social Care said: 'Dementia has a devastating impact on people living with the condition and on the families who care for them.‘We want everyone affected to be able to access high-quality, personalised support.'