‘Catch up’ efforts push dementia diagnosis rates to three-year high

Dementia diagnosis rates have reached a three-year high after falling during the pandemic, the head of the NHS has said.

The ambition to diagnose 66.7 percent of over 65s who have the condition has not been met since March 2020.

But Amanda Pritchard promised progress was being made through interventions such as specialist teams being sent to assess people in care homes.

Some 475,573 diagnoses were made in September – up by 52,000 on the same time last year.

Ms Pritchard said: “We know that the pandemic hampered identification efforts, so we’ve been delivering that sort of catch up programme for dementia diagnosis including piloting proactive assessments in care homes – and it is working.

“Thanks to the efforts of NHS staff, tens of thousands more people are now getting a diagnosis that this time last year, opening doors to further support for patients and their families who suffer from this heartbreaking disease.”

In September, the proportion of over 65s with dementia who had been diagnosed was estimated to be 64.3 percent.

Ms Pritchard added: “I am determined that by next year we will once again reach our ambition of diagnosing two thirds of people with dementia so they don’t have to go through it alone.”

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Alzheimer’s Research UK said the improvement was “encouraging” but “there is still a long way to go”.

The charity’s executive director of policy and communications, Samantha Benham Hermetz, said: “Since the start of the pandemic, getting an early and accurate dementia diagnosis has been extremely challenging for some people and communities in England.

“So it’s encouraging to see the NHS start to make some headway to improve dementia diagnosis rates, particularly in the North West and North East.

“With new treatments for early Alzheimer’s disease on the horizon, now more than ever there needs to be sustained investment in the diagnostic pathway to make sure it’s fit for purpose and fit for the future.”

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