Record number of people are receiving a dementia diagnosis in England

The latest data shows that a record 487,432 people in England had a diagnosis as of June 2024.

Meeting ambitious diagnosis targets

While dementia diagnosis rates are the highest since the start of the pandemic at 65.0%, the NHS has more to do to meet its ambition to diagnose 66.7% of the total number of people that estimates suggest are living with a form of the disease.

NHS staff across the country are proactively assessing care home residents to support identification of people who may have dementia to boost numbers further for patients and their families. 

A timely diagnosis for dementia is vital so more people get the support and care they need to live with the illness.

England’s top dementia doctor today praised the hard work of staff in their efforts to boost diagnosis but acknowledged there is still more to do.

Get checked if you have any early signs of dementia

The NHS is encouraging people to come forward and get checked if they have any common early signs or symptoms of dementia.
 
Dr Jeremy Isaacs, national clinical director for dementia, NHS England, said: “Getting a diagnosis of dementia is the first step in supporting people, with a wide range of NHS services able to help. 

“NHS staff have worked hard to recover services with the number of people with a diagnosis rising significantly over the last year, and now at a record level, but there is more work to be done. 

“Thousands more individuals are being diagnosed each month and more medication reviews are being done within 12 months. 

Common early symptoms of dementia include forgetting bits of information, saying the same thing repeatedly, struggling to follow a conversation or find the right word and being confused about time and place. Usually, these problems will be more obvious to the person’s family and friends than to the individual themselves. 

“If you have noticed that someone has symptoms, please encourage them to visit their GP for an assessment – the sooner someone is seen the quicker the NHS can help.”    

Towards further progress in diagnosis

Dr Alex Osborne, Policy Manager at Alzheimer’s Society, said: “It’s great to see the progress being made on diagnosing more people with dementia in England, and we welcome the NHS’s acknowledgement that there’s still more to do.  

“An early, accurate diagnosis is vital for unlocking care, support, and treatment.  

A third of people living with dementia in England don’t have a diagnosis, meaning they’re missing out on the benefits it can bring. There’s also significant regional variation in diagnosis rates. This needs to change.  

“Thanks to a concerted effort, we’re close to meeting the existing target of a 66.7% diagnosis rate – so now we’d like to see bold, ambitious but achievable new targets set for the future to ensure everyone gets the diagnosis they need.

We fully support the NHS’s work to get more people diagnosed, and want to help in any way we can. We encourage anyone worried about their memory, or the memory of a loved one, to speak to their GP. Our dementia symptoms checklist which is endorsed by the Royal College of GPs is a great tool to help start this conversation.