GPs’ dementia assessments drop by a third
PEOPLE with worrying signs of dementia are being denied NHS help, with the number of assessments by GPs falling by one third since the pandemic, official figures show.
Experts said the figures were “shocking,” showing that the most vulnerable had been left to live “in uncertainty and fear” without even access to family doctors as their memories failed.
It comes amid growing public concern over access to face-to-face appointments with GPs. Analysis of NHS statistics shows the number of people being assessed by GPs has fallen by 30 per cent, while the number undergoing such checks in memory clinics has more than halved.
Figures show the number of people being diagnosed with the condition has fallen by more than 32,000 since the first lockdown.
Ministers, including the Prime Minister, have pledged to take action to ensure patients can see a family doctor in person.
The British Medical Association is threatening industrial action in protest, with a vote among members currently taking place.
The new monthly figures show that, in total, dementia assessments have fallen by almost 10,000. There were 19,393 such checks in September, compared with 28,641 on an average month before the pandemic – a fall of one third.
The number of GP assessments went from 23,986 to 16,800 – a drop of 30 per cent – while assessments at memory clinics fell from 4,655 to 2,593 – a fall of 56 per cent.
Under David Cameron, the Government designated dementia as a priority, setting a target for 67 per cent of people with conditions such as Alzheimer’s to receive a diagnosis. Until the first lockdown, this target was achieved.
But during the pandemic the numbers receiving assessment or access to services has fallen sharply.
As a result, the current diagnosis rate is just 62 per cent, leaving more than 32,000 without a diagnosis.
A separate audit of memory clinics, which normally assess and diagnose dementia, reveals a widespread deterioration in services since the first lockdown.
In total, 48 per cent said they reduced the number of appointments, with some closing down entirely. One third of clinics said they only saw urgent or severe cases.
Experts warned that people with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia had struggled particularly during the pandemic.
Fiona Carragher, director of research and influencing, at the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “It’s shocking that the pandemic has left thousands of people with dementia in the dark about their diagnosis, leaving them living in uncertainty and fear. Many are struggling even to see their GP, let alone get an assessment to give them the answers they desperately need,” she said.
Ms Carragher said getting a diagnosis could “radically transform” people’s ability to live with the condition, and allow access to treatments and support.
An NHS spokesman did not comment on the decline in assessments by GPs and memory clinics shown in their most recent figures.
He said: “The NHS message to people and their families who think they may have dementia is clear – please come forward for an assessment.”