The Royal College of Psychiatrists, as part of the National Audit of Dementia, has published their Memory Services Spotlight Audit 2023-24.
Statistics from the audit include:
- A large increase in the average waiting time from referral to diagnosis, up to 151 days.
- A wide variation between services with the lowest average 44 days and the highest 347.
- Time for assessment to diagnosis is significantly higher for patients from the most deprived areas.
- A wide variation in results from each service on each item measured. This includes physical health checks performed, specific diagnoses, and post diagnostic support such as Cognitive Stimulation Therapy.
Standards for this audit were drawn from the Dementia Care Pathway Full Implementation Guidance by the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health and Memory Services National Accreditation Programme (MSNAP) standards 8th edition.
You can read the audit here: https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/docs/default-source/improving-care/ccqi/national-clinical-audits/national-audit-of-dementia/nad-round-6-(2023-2024)/mas-r6/nad-mas-2023-national-report-05082024-final.pdf
Read in-depth coverage of what this new data means from ARUK here: https://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/news/five-things-weve-learned-from-the-2024-memory-assessment-services-audit/