Record numbers of people in England have received a dementia diagnosis in the past year, NHS figures show.
The latest data shows a record 487,432 people had a diagnosis in June. However, the rate remains below pre-pandemic levels, with 65% of people estimated to have the condition diagnosed, below the NHS’s 66.7% target, which was last met in 2019.
The NHS said England had one of the highest dementia diagnosis rates in the world, with high-income countries typically in the range of 20-50%. The health service credits this to specialist nursing and other staff proactively assessing care home residents to identify those who may have dementia.
Yet a postcode lottery remains, with a recent all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on dementia report estimating that more than 115,000 people with dementia are going undiagnosed because of where they live. Analysis of NHS primary care dementia figures released in 2023 revealed a 45 percentage point difference between the top and bottom performers.
This is the result of a range of structural barriers, including cultural differences, difficulties in seeing a GP, long waits for memory assessment, lack of post-diagnostic support, insufficient scanners and problems travelling to appointments.
The APPG called on the last government to significantly increase scanning capacity and workforce and for the NHS integrated care boards to introduce strategic local plans to increase access to diagnostic services.
A timely diagnosis enables people to get the support and care they need to live with the illness.
The NHS is calling on people to come forward and get checked if they have any common early signs or symptoms, and for family members and friends to encourage those they are worried about to go to the GP for an assessment.
Dr Jeremy Isaacs, a national clinical director for dementia at NHS England, said: “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.”
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.
Common early symptoms of dementia include forgetting 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.
Dr Alex Osborne, a policy manager at the Alzheimer’s Society, welcomed the progress but said more needed to be done.
“An early, accurate diagnosis is vital for unlocking care, support, and treatment,” she said.
“A third of people living with dementia in England don’t have a diagnosis, meaning they’re missing out on the benefits it can bring. There’s also significant regional variation in diagnosis rates. This needs to change.
“We’re close to meeting the existing target of a 66.7% diagnosis rate – so now we’d like to see bold, ambitious but achievable new targets set for the future to ensure everyone gets the diagnosis they need.”
Recent UCL research has indicated that dementia incidence has been increasing in England and Wales since 2008, and projects that up to 1.7 million people could be living with dementia in England and Wales by 2040 – over 40% more than previously forecast. This is primarily driven by an ageing population, though the incidence is also increasing within age groups.
The researchers warned that dementia is an “urgent policy problem” requiring increased investment in social care.
