New drive to improve dementia diagnosis rates

The Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt, has announced new plans by NHS England to improve dementia diagnosis rates over the next two years. Parliamentary Yearbook reports on the new drive which is to be led by local Clinical Commissioning Groups, working with local health and wellbeing boards.  

The Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has described current levels of dementia diagnosis rates as “shockingly low”. They stand at approximately 45%, which is lower than diagnosis figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland. Under a new initiative, Mr Hunt has announced a drive to completely overhaul dementia diagnosis.  The plans aim to see two thirds of people with dementia identified and given support by 2015 with diagnosis rates rising by over 20%.

More than half of people living with dementia have not received a diagnosis. Figures show that currently only 350,000 of an estimated 670,000 people living with dementia have been diagnosed. Commenting on this, Alzheimer’s Society Chief Executive Jeremy Hughes said: “It’s disgraceful that almost half of all people with dementia are not receiving a diagnosis, and disappointing to see such a disparity in rates in different regions of the UK.”

The issue is important. One in three people over the age of 65 will suffer with dementia, and with number of suffers set to double in the next 30 years costs are expected to rise to £19 billion.  According to NHS England, “improved diagnosis will be key if the system is to cope effectively with the predicted surge in numbers”.

In recent years the issue has become an increasing priority. In 2009, the Labour government published the National Dementia Strategy. This strategy set new standards for dementia care, focusing on better education and understanding of dementia, early diagnosis and support, and services for people and their carers living with dementia.

Under the current administration, Prime Minister David Cameron subsequently launched the Dementia Challenge in March last year.  This set out plans to make further improvements in dementia care. There are three strands, which aim to: improve care, promote public support and understanding of dementia, and encourage research. Three champion groups oversee the Dementia Challenge. Their latest annual progress report set out their shared ambition that: “By 2015, we want to see significant increases in research funding, diagnosis rate and the number of dementia friendly communities.”

As the Prime Minister’s Challenge on Dementia has reached the end of its first year the Health Secretary announced the new drive to overhaul dementia diagnosis rates. To this end, the government is working with NHS England to put together guidance for local NHS services on improving diagnosis rates. 

The focus will be on correcting what NHS calls “the existing postcode lottery on diagnosis”.  Under new plans, the aim is to see two thirds of people with dementia identified and given support.  This will see an extra 160,000 people diagnosed in 2015 compared with numbers diagnosed this year. Commenting on the plans, Jeremy Hunt said: “I am pleased that NHS England has set a clear direction and sent a message to the NHS that we must do more.”

A number of organisations will be at the forefront of the project. Crucial to success will be the co-operation of local Clinical Commissioning Groups, working with local Health and Wellbeing Boards. Dr Martin McShane, Director of NHS England, acknowledged that diagnosis was the first step to accessing care and support.  Emphasising the collaborative nature of the plans, he said:  “We relish the opportunity to share best practice and effective ways of meeting the needs of people with dementia once diagnosed with our colleagues in Clinical Commissioning Groups and Health and Wellbeing Boards.”

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