Dementia patients being forced to wait up to two years for a diagnosis, damning study reveals
The staggering wait for dementia diagnosis laid bare in alarming report
- A report by charity Care England reveals patients are waiting up to two years for a dementia diagnosis, describing the situation as a "government failure".
- The review, titled 'The Current State Of Dementia Diagnosis & Care In England', highlights significant gaps in diagnosis, regional disparities, and challenges in care coordination.
- Waiting times from referral to diagnosis have drastically increased, now reaching two years in some instances, compared to a maximum of 34 weeks in 2019.
- Care England is calling for a unified national strategy, enhanced dementia-specific workforce training, and sufficient sustainable funding to address the growing demand.
- The report proposes specific changes including a national standardised diagnostic pathway and a nationally mandated standard of care across every stage of the dementia care pathway.