Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41714976›Full record

ArticleBMC geriatrics2026

A national survey of dementia diagnosis and care in English memory services.

Oliver Kelsey, Harriet Demnitz-King, Charlotte Kenten, Hannah Chapman, Malvika Muralidhar, Ellen Camboe, Elenyd Whitfield, Sedigheh Zabihi, Emma Williams, Annie Jones and 6 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC geriatrics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

16 authors.

Oliver KelseyCentre for Psychiatry and Mental Health, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, Yvonne Carter Building 58 turner Street, London, UK. o.kelsey@qmul.ac.uk.
Harriet Demnitz-KingCentre for Psychiatry and Mental Health, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, Yvonne Carter Building 58 turner Street, London, UK.
Charlotte KentenCentre for Psychiatry and Mental Health, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, Yvonne Carter Building 58 turner Street, London, UK.
Hannah ChapmanCentre for Psychiatry and Mental Health, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, Yvonne Carter Building 58 turner Street, London, UK.
Malvika MuralidharCentre for Psychiatry and Mental Health, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, Yvonne Carter Building 58 turner Street, London, UK.
Ellen CamboeCentre for Psychiatry and Mental Health, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, Yvonne Carter Building 58 turner Street, London, UK.
Elenyd WhitfieldCentre for Psychiatry and Mental Health, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, Yvonne Carter Building 58 turner Street, London, UK.
Sedigheh ZabihiCentre for Psychiatry and Mental Health, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, Yvonne Carter Building 58 turner Street, London, UK.
Emma WilliamsDepartment of Primary Care and Mental Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
Annie JonesDepartment of Primary Care and Mental Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
Susan WilliamsDepartment of Primary Care and Mental Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
Charles R MarshallCentre for Psychiatry and Mental Health, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, Yvonne Carter Building 58 turner Street, London, UK.
Jonathan M SchottInstitute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK.
Ruth DobsonCentre for Psychiatry and Mental Health, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, Yvonne Carter Building 58 turner Street, London, UK.
Sube BanerjeeFaculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
Claudia CooperCentre for Psychiatry and Mental Health, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, Yvonne Carter Building 58 turner Street, London, UK.

Funding

National Institute for Health and Care Research NIHR206120
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIn England, National Health Service (NHS) memory services provide most dementia diagnostic and immediate post-diagnostic care. We aimed to co-design and conduct a survey regarding diagnostic and post-diagnostic care, and perceived readiness for new treatments.

methodsWe invited all memory services in England to complete the survey. We compared services by provider type, investigating whether service characteristics (provider type, rurality, region, referral rates, staffing mix, accreditation) were associated with diagnosis rates and psychological therapy provision.

results139/188 (73.9%) memory services participated, 130 (93.5%) provided by mental health/community and 9 (6.5%) by acute trusts. We estimated that English memory services receive 192,418 referrals/year, 98.7% to mental health/community trust services. In these services, the median annual referral rate per Full Time Equivalent (FTE) staff was 100.8 (Interquartile range: 56.7-132.8). Of FTE memory service staff, 14.0% (9.0-19.0%) were doctors. Acute trust-based services reported fewer referrals (45.8, 21.1-99.5) and had more doctors (33.0%, 23.0-43.0% FTE). More acute trust services felt ready to prescribe dementia Disease Modifying Treatments (N = 8 [88.9%]) than mental health/community services (N = 50, [41.7%]), while fewer acute trusts offered post-diagnostic psychological therapy routinely (N = 5 [55.6%]) vs. (N = 100 [77.5%]) in community services. NHS region (β = 0.70 [95% Confidence interval (CI): 0.08, 1.32]) and rurality (β = 2.14, [95% CI: 1.32, 2.96]) predicted lower diagnostic rates; regions with highest dementia diagnosis rates (67%+) had more memory service staff relative to the local aged 65 + population size.

conclusionWe identified marked geographical inequalities. People in regions with less resourced memory services and rural areas had less access to timely diagnosis and care.

Indexed as

DementiaState MedicineEnglandHumansReferral and ConsultationSurveys and QuestionnairesDementiaHealth policyMemory servicesMild cognitive impairment (MCI)

Identifiers

PMID41714976
PMCPMC13020397

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.