Record Number of Britons Given Dementia Diagnosis in Past Year

A record number of people in England have received a dementia diagnosis in the past year, NHS figures show.

The latest data shows a record 487,432 people had a diagnosis in June. However, the rate remains below pre-pandemic levels, with 65% of people estimated to have the condition diagnosed, below the NHS’s 66.7% target, which was last met in 2019, The Guardian reported.

The NHS said England had one of the highest dementia diagnosis rates in the world, with high-income countries typically in the range of 20-50%. The health service credits this to specialist nursing and other staff proactively assessing care home residents to identify those who may have dementia.