NHS Rolls Out New 2023 Dementia Diagnosis Drive

NHS England is investing £900,000 to launch two pilots in each of England’s seven regions

A dementia diagnosis helps NHS and care home staff manage people’s condition better and ensures they are not prescribed unnecessary medication

The fourteen pilots spread across the country will be launched from January following a successful trial in Norfolk

More than 100 care home residents were given a face-to-face assessment in Norfolk with 95 people receiving a dementia diagnosis

The family of one of the residents received a diagnosis thanks to the trial said it “gave her peace of mind”

More people will be checked for dementia thanks to a new specialist service being trialled across the country the NHS has announced

Care home residents will be proactively assessed for the condition by specialist nurses and other healthcare professionals through 14 new pilot schemes being rolled out this year

The new scheme comes as the NHS leading dementia expert said that family and friends can play a key role in spotting signs of dementia when visiting loved ones

During the pandemic the number of people diagnosed with dementia was inevitably impacted and experts say this trial will help increase the number of diagnoses

In the new local dementia drives GPs will share a list of care home residents without a dementia diagnosis

RESIDENTS OFFERED FACE-TO-FACE ASSESSMENTS

Staff involved in the pilot will then check with the care home to see if those listed have memory problems and residents will be offered be a full face-toface assessment

The clinician will review a person’s use of medication as well as speaking to the care home resident s family and friends to determine whether they have dementia

Pandemic Impacted On Diagnosis

Professor Alistair Burns, NHS England s national clinical director for dementia, said: “The pandemic has naturally had an impact on the number of people diagnosed with dementia, with elderly people seeing fewer people to protect themselves from Covid-19

The NHS is determined to ensure those who developed dementia during the pandemic are given a diagnosis as it will open up doors to further support for people and their families who suffer from this heart-breaking disease

There are many things we can do in the NHS to care for and support people if they do get a diagnosis and importantly there is support for their families and carers too

“So, if you have noticed over the festive period that someone has symptoms please encourage them to visit their GP for an assessment – the sooner someone is seen the quicker the NHS can support them ”

The NHS Long Term Plan committed to offering better support for people with dementia through more support in the community through enhanced community multidisciplinary teams and greater personalised care