325,000 people in England have undiagnosed dementia
Diagnosis rates have dropped during pandemic
Last updated 29th May 2022
There are more than 325,000 people in England living with undiagnosed dementia according to a new report.
Rates of diagnosis have dropped due to the impact of the Covid pandemic, which means they are now falling short of the Government’s target of two-thirds.
The new report found a postcode lottery in who finds out they have the condition, with large variations across England.
It argues that £3 billion could be saved with better diagnosis rates, which currently vary across the country from 83% to 47%.
An estimated 676,000 people in England have dementia. Across the whole of the UK, the figure is thought to be 850,000.
Diagnosis rates drop during Covid
NHS England has an ambition for diagnosis rates which says two-thirds of the estimated number of people with dementia in England should have a diagnosis and follow-up support. This was first achieved in November 2015 but the pandemic has seen rates fall.
The latest data from NHS Digital shows that, in March, 62% of those aged 65 or over thought to have dementia have a diagnosis.
This figure has mostly remained the same for the whole of 2021 but was higher in February 2020, before the pandemic, at 68%.
The NHS Digital figures compare the number of people thought to have dementia with the number of people diagnosed with dementia, though data collection may have been impacted by the pandemic.
Analysis shows gap and a 'postcode lottery'
In its new analysis, Future Health, a healthcare policy research consultancy, said the data suggests more than 325,000 people in England may have dementia which is undiagnosed.
It said that from 2020 to 2021, 430,000 people had a formal diagnosis but analysis suggests around four in 10 of those with dementia did not.
It found the Midlands has the highest number of undiagnosed people with dementia, while London and the North West has the lowest number.
It also found variations within regions. For example, in Stoke-on-Trent, 83% of estimated dementia patients have been diagnosed, while in neighbouring Stafford and the surrounds only 48% of people have been diagnosed.
The report, which was funded by a grant from pharmaceutical giant Roche, suggests a raft of improvements, including using new digital tools to monitor people at risk and sending diagnosis equipment to areas of the country that need it the most.
Regional differences 'need addressing'
Fiona Carragher, director of research and influencing at the Alzheimer’s Society, said the study “evidences the need to address regional and health disparities to improve the experience of diagnosis in a fair way”.
She added: “As we move beyond the Covid-19 pandemic, we must now urgently work together to improve diagnosis, ongoing care and outcomes for people living with dementia.”
Conservative MP Laurence Robertson, co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Dementia, said: “The latest figures show how important the Government’s new dementia strategy is.
“As with most illnesses, the earlier dementia is diagnosed the better for a patient’s quality of life and to make sure they get the right treatment they need.”