NHS dementia tests ‘futile and failing patients’

DEMENTIA patients are being failed by ‘futile’ diagnosis tests in hospitals, the country’s top experts have warned.

Symptoms of dementia in up to 40 per cent of patients are being missed in routine tests – and many patients flagged up as ‘potentially’ having dementia are never sent for further tests, research found.

Up to a million adults in the UK are thought to have dementia but as many as one-third have not been formally diagnosed. Without diagnosis, they are being denied treatment to halt the progression of the illness and alleviate symptoms.

The Government introduced compulsory checks for hospital patients over 75 in 2013. Those thought to potentially have dementia are supposed to be referred for further tests. But a University of Cambridge study, presented at the Dementia Diagnosis in Primary and Secondary Care summit in London this week, showed only a quarter of possible dementia patients were referred for more tests. Dr Chris Fox, of the University of East Anglia, added that a second study showed there was ‘futility’ in the system as tests were not able to accurately predict the illness.