Dementia patients being forced to wait up to two years for a diagnosis, damning study reveals

Patients are being forced to wait up to two years for a dementia diagnosis in what a report has described as a “government failure”.

The report from charity Care England states there are ongoing gaps in diagnosis, significant regional disparities, and serious challenges in the co-ordination of care.

The review – called The Current State Of Dementia Diagnosis & Care In England – adds that waiting times from referral to diagnosis in England are now hitting the two-year mark, in comparison to a maximum waiting time of 34 weeks in 2019.

It states the average waiting time from referral to dementia diagnosis has increased by more than a third, from 13 weeks in 2019 to 17.7 weeks.

Care England – a registered charity which represents independent providers of adult social care – says the findings point towards a “government failure to deliver timely and effective strategies to address the growing demand for dementia services”.

The charity is calling for a “unified national strategy, enhanced dementia-specific workforce training, and sufficient sustainable funding”.

It argues the demographic trajectories mean dementia care will continue to deteriorate without intervention, owing to an ageing population and the projected rise of those needing care and support.

Professor Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, has urged national leaders to treat dementia as a priority.

He said: “People living with dementia, and the professionals who care for them, are navigating a system that is too often reactive, underfunded, and disjointed.

“This report is a call to redesign that system from the ground up, which needs national leadership, long-term investment, and a commitment to treating dementia care as a priority, not an afterthought.

“Behind every statistic is a person whose journey with dementia could have been better if there were earlier diagnosis and more co-ordinated care.

“We need leadership, investment, and urgency – as a society, we owe it to the nearly one million people living with dementia to build a system that acts before crisis, supports every stage of the journey, and delivers dignity, not disparity.”

The review has pointed to specific changes it would like to see introduced to improve dementia care.

These include a national standardised diagnostic pathway, a nationally mandated standard of care across every stage of the dementia care pathway, and provision and funding for national education for care providers.

The report also calls for the reintroduction of a national dementia diagnosis benchmark as part of a Dementia Accountability Framework.

Jill Quinn, chief executive of the charity Dementia Forward, claims the current system leads to inequality in dementia treatment

She said: “Without a national dementia strategy and a uniformed approach, not only do we create dangerous gaps in the support and care, but we also fail to share good practice and ultimately improve lives.

“Our hope is that we can work together to create a system that helps people, avoids crises and improves lives.”