‘It’s frustrating for everybody’: the impact of dementia diagnosis delays

Alan Richardson and his wife, Janet. Alan had cognitive tests and an MRI scan in January 2019 but had no formal diagnosis for nearly 18 months. Photograph: Graeme Robertson/The Guardian

Swindon has one of the worst dementia diagnosis rates in England. NHS England figures show that less than half of patients (49.7%) with the condition have a formal diagnosis. It means that more than 760 people are not diagnosed who would have been if Swindon had the same diagnosis rates as the average (80%) of the top 10 performing areas.

Avon and Wiltshire mental health partnership NHS trust, which runs dementia services in Swindon, says the average waiting time for memory assessment is nine months, while for those patients referred for a brain scan to confirm or rule out diagnosis, the average wait is about six months.