Remote GPs blamed for decline in dementia detection rates

An NHS leader has warned that the chances of diagnosing people with dementia are lost as doctors remove personal appointments.

Up to 325,000 people in the UK not diagnosed this week could have dementia, according to the analysis.

Professor Alistair Burns, Director of the National Dementia and Elderly Mental Health Clinic, said phone appointments could hinder the evaluation of cases.

Professor Burns, from NHS England, also warned that the pandemic has left some people unable to get help with memory problems.

At the Alzheimer’s Association’s annual conference, Professor Burns said a “significant proportion” of people with memory problems are satisfied with phone and video calls.

But she did talk about the importance of doctors providing “primary care” to patients who discover memory problems during routine appointments.

The NHS leader said: “In primary care, opportunistic face-to-face opportunities are important: when you see someone measuring blood pressure or something else, they talk about their memory and you can do something about it.

“I think it got lost by going through a lot of phone reviews.”

The Daily Mail has called for more face-to-face meetings for patients, fearing that serious illnesses such as dementia may be missed.

At the Alzheimer’s Association’s annual conference, Professor Burns said a “significant proportion” of people with memory problems are satisfied with phone and video calls.

A quarter of people with dementia in the UK have been living with the condition for more than two years after noticing symptoms before diagnosis, the Alzheimer’s Association announced this week.

It was based on a survey of more than 1,000 people with and without a diagnosis of dementia and caregivers.

Professor Burns told the Alzheimer’s Association conference: “Oh, the pandemic, GPs and everyone was so busy, the hospitals were so busy, I didn’t want to bother anyone,” I met some people who said.

“I had these symptoms, I didn’t want to offend anyone.”

He said both phone and in-person appointments can work, but he added: “I know a lot of people who probably came to see me at the hospital before the pandemic and loved it – it was a day out. One day.

“Actually, a lot of people applied to me just because they didn’t have any concerns about memory, but their friends came to me and it was a very pleasant experience and they just want it checked out.”

“So that personal approach is key.”

Professor Burns also warned of the risk of ‘digital exclusion’ for those who do not use technologies such as video calling and may be ‘disadvantaged’.

Speaking at the conference yesterday, the health minister promised that a ten-year plan to tackle dementia would focus largely on preventing the condition from developing.

Sajid Javid has promised a “seismic shift” in the way dementia is handled, as data show that up to 40% of dementia can be prevented.

“Now we know that what is good for the heart is also good for the brain,” he said.

Measures against high blood pressure, physical inactivity, alcohol, obesity and a healthy diet play a role.

“So we’re going to be very ambitious when it comes to prevention.”

Mr Jarvis said he wants the dementia plan to be published by the end of the year.

be “bold” like an NHS plan to fight cancer.

About 850,000 people in the UK are believed to have dementia.

But the latest figures from NHS Digital show that only 62% of people over 65 in the UK were diagnosed with dementia in March.

Future Health, a health policy research consultancy, said data suggest that more than 325,000 people in the UK may have undiagnosed dementia.

Commenting on Javid’s speech, Mark MacDonald, Alzheimer’s Association director of advocacy and systems change, said: “His words will have no meaning unless they are backed by equally ambitious funding and distribution mechanisms that put people with dementia at the center of everything.” “

Professor Martin Marshall, head of the Royal College of GP, said that during the pandemic it is sometimes impossible to refer patients to specialist services such as memory clinics and that even diagnoses would be affected if patients did not come forward.

“The way family doctors and our teams deliver care during the pandemic has changed, with more remote care being provided to keep patients and staff safe, but facilitated in-person appointments when clinically necessary.

“Currently, more than 60% of family doctor consultations are face-to-face, but the pandemic has shown that safe and appropriate care can be provided remotely, and many patients find this consultation method helpful.”