Alarm at 50pc fall in dementia assessments

THE number of suspected dementia sufferers receiving assessments in order to get a diagnosis has fallen by half since the Covid pandemic began, official figures show.

Charities have warned that the “alarming” plunge in numbers means tens of thousands of people with conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease are not being offered support or medication.

It follows warnings that patients are waiting more than a year for help.

When GPs suspect dementia, they are supposed to refer patients to a memory clinic, which can make a diagnosis. In 2019, there were almost 56,000 such assessments in England.

If services had continued to function normally, around 140,000 such assessments would have taken place since the start of 2020. But data published by the NHS shows that fewer than 73,000 such consultations have taken place – a fall of 50 per cent.

Experts said some of the drop might be explained by people failing to seek help, afraid to be a burden on GPs during the pandemic. But separate figures show that even when help was sought, many have faced long waits to be assessed by a clinic.

Statistics for the first six months of 2022 show clinics are operating at 58 per cent capacity, compared with the same period pre-pandemic.

A Telegraph investigation earlier this year found 13,800 patients on waiting lists for memory clinics, including more than 2,500 facing waits of at least six months. At some NHS trusts, the average wait was one year.

Trusts with the longest waiting times said their backlogs had grown while staff were redeployed during the pandemic.

James White, head of public affairs and campaigns at the Alzheimer’s Society said: “We cannot afford to treat dementia, which is the biggest killer in the UK, as an afterthought. Behind this data are tens of thousands of people feeling anxious, confused ... and desperately worried about the future.”

Falling rates of diagnosis since the first lockdown amount to an estimated 33,000 fewer cases spotted, the charity said, calling for an extra £70million investment to tackle the problem.

Health officials said the number of referrals to clinics for all types of memory conditions had been higher in the past three months than the same period in 2019.

Professor Alistair Burns, the NHS national clinical director for dementia, said: “If you or someone you know is worried about symptoms, please approach your GP for an assessment. The sooner we see you, the sooner we can support you.”

It comes as Boris Johnson is launching a new “national mission” to tackle dementia in memory of the late EastEnders star Dame Barbara Windsor. The Prime Minister said the Government would commit an extra £95million in research funding, meeting a manifesto commitment to double funding into seeking treatments for the disease to £160million by 2024.