Only one in three dementia patients referred for specialist support

Just a third of people diagnosed with dementia received the support they are entitled to after being confirmed as suffering from the condition, new figures have shown.

Data from Public Health Scotland (PHS) revealed that in 2020-21 just 33.7% of people estimated to be newly diagnosed with the condition were referred for specialist ongoing support – down from 42.9% in 2019-20

A PHS report said that the “effects of measures relating to the Covid-19 pandemic are likely to have contributed to this reduction”.

The Scottish Government had previously set the standard that everyone newly diagnosed with the condition would be offered a minimum of one year’s post-diagnostic support.

There were 6,569 people who were diagnosed with dementia and then referred for post-diagnostic support in 2020-21, down from 8,137 in 2019-20.

According to the latest figures, NHS Fife had the highest percentage of people being referred for ongoing help, at 50.6% – while NHS Grampian and NHS Tayside had the lowest at 18.9% and 19.8% respectively.

But the charity Age Scotland raised concerns about the thousands of Scots missing out on support.

Dr Kainde Manji, head of dementia for Age Scotland, said: “These figures are very poor and are a great cause for concern.

“While they refer to the peak periods of Covid-19 when access to healthcare was severely restricted, there were nearly 13,000 people newly diagnosed with dementia who, as a result and for a multitude of reasons, didn’t get the support they needed and were entitled to.

“Their quality of life will have been poorer for this and demonstrates the far-reaching impact the pandemic has had on people’s lives.”

But she added: “Even before the Covid-19 pandemic the number of people referred to post-diagnostic support was shockingly low.

“There is a long way to go to ensure people living with dementia get what they need to live as well as they can.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said about £2.6 billion was spent on dementia in 2022/23, which it said was a 14% increase since 2014.

“We want everyone who is entitled to post-diagnostic support to be offered a referral. That’s why we are continuing to allocate additional funding this year, following the ring-fenced sum of £3.5 million invested last year, to meet the local service shortfall and address variation across health boards,” the spokesman said.

“We continue to support NHS boards and local partners to improve dementia care. We will publish a new national dementia strategy informed by people living with dementia and wider partners in coming months.”