Multiple health leaders are urging Prime Minister Andy Burnham to establish a national waiting-time target for dementia diagnosis and treatment in England. The Alzheimer’s Society has proposed an 18-week referral-to-treatment standard, a proposal that has received backing from Professor Sir Mike Richards, England’s former national cancer director, and Baroness Louise Casey, who is leading a comprehensive review of adult social care.
The organizations behind the proposal argue that dementia care requires a fundamental overhaul comparable to reforms that transformed cancer treatment. In a report developed jointly by Alzheimer’s Society and the King’s Trust, they characterized current dementia care as being significantly outdated. Social Care Minister Alison McGovern voiced support for the proposal during remarks at an Alzheimer’s Society conference, acknowledging that dementia has been inadequately prioritized and describing how patients and families navigate a fragmented system during vulnerable periods.
Currently, England has no established waiting-time targets for dementia services, contrasting sharply with the NHS targets for cancer diagnosis and treatment that were introduced in 2000. Professor Richards, who oversaw the introduction of cancer waiting-time standards, indicated that an 18-week target for dementia referral-to-treatment would be feasible but would necessitate sustained political commitment and increased funding. Baroness Casey has also advocated for this approach, previously writing to the former Health Secretary that dementia should receive parity with other major health conditions through national diagnostic standards.
The government has committed to appointing a senior official to coordinate dementia care and to develop a modernized service framework intended to accelerate support for affected individuals, with these initiatives expected to be completed later this year. Burnham indicated he will consider recommendations from Baroness Casey’s social care review, which are anticipated next summer, before determining specific reforms and funding mechanisms. Approximately one million people currently live with dementia in the UK, with projections indicating this figure could rise to 1.4 million by 2040.
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