Health Secretary calls “dramatic variation” in dementia diagnosis across the UK “unacceptable”

Health Secretary has called for the “worst performing areas to wake up to the dementia time bomb”, after new figures revealed the extreme variation in dementia diagnosis across the country.

Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Health

New figures released by the reveal wide variations in how many people are receiving a diagnosis of dementia in Britain, with rates ranging from 31.6 per cent in East Riding of Yorkshire to 75.5 per cent in Belfast.

There are thought to be nearly half a million people in the UK who are living with the condition but who are not diagnosed.

Jeremy Hughes, chief executive at Alzheimer’s Society called it “disgraceful that more than half of all people with dementia are not receiving a diagnosis, and disappointing to see such a disparity in diagnosis rates in different regions of the UK.”

He added: “This goes against best clinical practice and is preventing people with dementia from accessing the support, benefits and the medical treatments that can help them live well with the condition. Studies show that an early diagnosis can save the taxpayer thousands of pounds, because it can delay someone needing care outside of their own home. The NHS has already made a commitment to improving diagnosis rates but more needs to be done to ensure people with dementia are able to live as well as possible with the disease.”

The figures also revealed there has been a three per cent increase in the number of people in the UK diagnosed with dementia.

Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Health called the small improvement in dementia diagnosis “good news”, but said: “The extreme variation across the country is unacceptable. It’s time for the worst performing areas to wake up to the dementia time bomb. While many areas do excellent work, the worst is diagnosing just a third of people with dementia - delaying vital treatment and causing unnecessary suffering.”

He added: “I have committed to making this a year of dementia awareness. I will shortly visit every region, encouraging those responsible to make a difference. I want local areas to set ambitious targets for improved dementia diagnosis. We must make England one of the best places in Europe for dementia care.”

Dominic Batty is one of the lucky ones who received an early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.

His wife Jill said: “We were lucky to get an early diagnosis. Dominic is a retired dentist and, being medically trained, he was the first person to become worried about his memory. It was hard to pin-point what was happening but something wasn’t right, so he went to see his doctor. Once we had the diagnosis, we contacted the Alzheimer’s Society and received lots of help and information. Having an early diagnosis meant we had time to get the support we need.”

Alzheimer’s Society has produced an interactive map www.alzheimers.org.uk/dementiamap which highlights the number of people who have a diagnosis of dementia in different Primary Care Trusts in the UK. To investigate the quality of assessment people with dementia are receiving, Alzheimer’s Society surveyed memory clinics in the UK. Two thirds of all Primary Care Trusts responded.

Alzheimer’s Society’s advice is to speak to your GP if you are worried about your memory and experiencing symptoms such as:

• struggling to remember recent events (despite being able to recall things that happened in the past)

• finding it difficult to follow conversations or programmes on TV

• having problems thinking and reasoning and regularly forgetting the names of friends or everyday objects

People who are worried about their memory can also contact Alzheimer’s Society’s National Dementia helpline on 0300 222 1122 or can visit www.alzheimers.org.uk/memoryworry

Alzheimer’s Society research shows that 800,000 people in the UK have a form of dementia, more than half have Alzheimer’s disease. By 2021 a million people will be living with dementia. This will soar to 1.7m people by 2051.