MP calls for 18-week dementia diagnosis target to be included in new Government plan

Local MP Alan Mak has called for an 18-week dementia diagnosis target to be included in a new Government plan.

He is among MPs who have signed a cross-party letter to Health Secretary Yvette Cooper urging her to incorporate the target, which is supported by the Alzheimer's Society, in the forthcoming Modern Service Framework for Dementia and Frailty. 

The letter says a binding, 18-week referral-to-diagnosis target (including care plan initiation and treatment where appropriate) would bring dementia in line with wider NHS standards. 

Dementia is the UK’s leading cause of death, with around one million people currently living with the disease. This is expected to rise to 1.4 million by 2040. 

The letter said: "The impact on families and public services is immense and continues to grow. The crisis in social care continues to disproportionately affect those living with the disease.

"Yet more than a third of people living with dementia in England still do not have a formal diagnosis, while those who do receive one live with dementia for an average of 3.5 years before diagnosis." 

Wait times from referral to diagnosis have also increased by almost 70%, from 13 weeks in 2019 to 22 weeks, according to the latest figures. 

The letter added: "The dementia diagnosis rate target was removed from the 2025/26 Priorities and Operational Planning Guidance for NHS England.

"The forthcoming Modern Service Framework for Dementia and Frailty (MSF) is the ideal place to enshrine a universal diagnosis target to bring dementia in line with other killers like cancer and heart disease.

"While progress has been made in reducing elective care waiting times through the Government’s commitment that 92% of referral-to-treatment pathways are completed within 18 weeks, dementia remains without a comparable standard."

Alzheimer’s Society Chief Executive Michelle Dyson has warned that the MSF is "not going to be worth the paper it is written on" if an 18-week diagnosis target is not included. 

Mr Mak said: "Dementia is one of the greatest challenges facing society. With the possible advent of transformative drugs, a timely and accurate diagnosis is essential.

"That is why I support the call for a binding commitment to an 18-week diagnosis target ."