Dementia diagnoses in England at record high

Record numbers of people are being diagnosed with dementia in England, NHS figures show.

Latest data shows a record 487,432 people in England in June had a diagnosis.

While dementia diagnosis rates are the highest since the start of the pandemic at 65.0%, the NHS has more to do to meet its ambition to diagnose 66.7% of the total number of people that estimates suggest are living with a form of the disease.

NHS staff across the country are proactively assessing care home residents to support identification of people who may have dementia to boost numbers further for patients and their families.

England has one of the highest dementia diagnosis rates in the world, with high-income countries typically in the range of 20-50%.

A timely diagnosis for dementia is vital so more people get the support and care they need to live with the illness.

England’s top dementia doctor today praised the hard work of staff in their efforts to boost diagnosis but acknowledged there is still more to do.

The NHS is encouraging people to come forward and get checked if they have any common early signs or symptoms of dementia.

Dr Jeremy Isaacs, national clinical director for dementia, NHS England, said: “Getting a diagnosis of dementia is the first step in supporting people, with a wide range of NHS services able to help.

“NHS staff have worked hard to recover services with the number of people with a diagnosis rising significantly over the last year, and now at a record level, but there is more work to be done.

“Thousands more individuals are being diagnosed each month and more medication reviews are being done within 12 months.

“Common early symptoms of dementia include forgetting bits of information, saying the same thing repeatedly, struggling to follow a conversation or find the right word and being confused about time and place. Usually, these problems will be more obvious to the person’s family and friends than to the individual themselves.

“If you have noticed that someone has symptoms, please encourage them to visit their GP for an assessment – the sooner someone is seen the quicker the NHS can help.”

The latest figures show 86,434 people with a dementia diagnosis had their medication reviewed in the preceding 12 months.

The figure for June 2023 was 77,112.

In 2022 NHS England announced 14 new pilot schemes in which specialist nurses and other healthcare professionals proactively assess care home residents for dementia.