Half a million have dementia

Number diagnosed is soaring and could double by 2025, say experts

DEMENTIA has soared to record levels with nearly 500,000 now living with the condition, the latest figures show.

Health experts warned of a worsening crisis which ‘will not go away’ after the total number of patients rose by 15,000 in just a year.

NHS England estimates the true total is 676,000 because around a third of sufferers are never diagnosed, and it predicts numbers could exceed a million in Britain by 2025.

It said it is having to ‘ run to keep up’ with the strain the rise is placing on the health service.

Yesterday’s figures show that more than 470,000 people in England have received a formal diagnosis, while the number of sufferers over 65 has increased by seven per cent in the past three years to 450,000.

A quarter of those in their 80s now have dementia. But, while it remains most common among the elderly, 6,000 people in their 50s and 1,000 in their 40s have also been diagnosed.

The disease is most prevalent among men until the age of 85, when it affects women more – 26 per cent compared with 23 per cent of men.

Dementia costs the NHS £4.3billion a year and social care services £10.3billion.

Campaigners said it is the ‘biggest health and social care crisis of our time’ and called for urgent investment to provide more support for dementia patients and their families.

Alistair Burns, NHS national clinical director for dementia, said: ‘Dementia is a serious and growing condition which can have a major impact on people and their loved ones, so today’s high diagnosis numbers are not just important statistics, but represent thousands more families getting the right support.

‘As the population ages, the NHS is having to run to keep up, which is why the NHS Long Term Plan sets out a blueprint for older people’s care and makes early diagnosis and treatment for major health problems a top priority.’

Helen Davies, of Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: ‘The rising number of dementia diagnoses demonstrates that dementia, already the leading cause of death, is not a health crisis that will go away on its own.

‘We must revolutionise the way we diagnose and treat the diseases that cause dementia to better equip the NHS to improve people’s lives.’

Jeremy Hughes, of the Alzheimer’s Society, said: ‘Dementia is the biggest health and social care crisis of our time and, now more than ever before, we need to ensure the right services are there to reach every person who receives a dementia diagnosis.’

Hilda Hayo, of Dementia UK, said: ‘These figures highlight a greater awareness among families around dementia as well as the symptoms to look out for.

‘However, they do not hide the fact our health and social care systems are not helping families with dementia enough. We need a coordinated approach, where professionals have the right knowledge to support families at varying stages of dementia.’

In March the Mail revealed that nearly half the health boards in England had been judged to provide a poor standard of dementia care.

On average 30 per cent of sufferers had not received an official diagnosis, leaving hundreds of thousands in the dark over why they are confused or suffering memory problems – and missing out on medications to help alleviate their symptoms.

‘Having to run to keep up’