More than 250,000 older people in England may be living with dementia without a formal diagnosis, new NHS figures have revealed.
New NHS England official dementia data shows England's diagnosis rate is capturing just two thirds (66.7 per cent) of estimated prevalence of the disease among people aged over 65.
The figures also reveal a postcode lottery between local authority areas, with less than half (46.8 per cent) of people estimated to have the condition receiving a diagnosis in the South Hams area of Devon, compared to almost all (99.5 per cent) in Lincoln.
The data shows that northern regions have higher diagnosis rates with the North East recording the highest regional diagnosis rate at 70.2 per cent, compared with 62.1 per cent in the South West.
Meanwhile, more rural communities in Devon, Dorset, Suffolk, Warwickshire and Worcestershire all recorded diagnosis rates below the national average despite many of these areas having sizeable older populations.
Kent has one of the highest estimated numbers of people living with dementia in England, with almost 23,500 people aged 65 and over thought to be living with the condition but recorded a diagnosis rate of just 62.7 per cent, suggesting around 8,700 people may be living with dementia without a formal diagnosis.
Hampshire, Surrey, Norfolk and West Sussex also all recorded diagnosis rates below the England average of 66.7 per cent.
Dementia tsar
Mental Health and Social Care minister Alison McGovern said the increase in diagnosis rates reflected the use of new tools and data to help local teams identify more people with dementia and connect them with support sooner. However, she acknowledged more work is needed to improve diagnosis rates and reduce variation between areas.
The government has previously unveiled a series of initiatives aimed at improving dementia care and diagnosis, including new performance dashboards and data tools for local systems, a frailty and dementia modern service framework due by the end of the year, and the appointment of a dementia tsar.
It is also backing research through the newly launched AD-SMART trial, which will test multiple dementia treatments at the same time, alongside £33m of recent investment through the Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals Programme.
