Disparity in dementia diagnosis across Northern Ireland

Figures mapping out where people have been diagnosed with dementia throughout Northern Ireland have identified gaps where many may be going untreated.

Government data from every GP practice in the North obtained by the Belfast-based news and analysis website, the Detail, shows a wide variation in the number of people diagnosed with dementia.

The figures show that across the North as a whole, 16 patients per 1,000 aged 45 or over are listed by their GP as having some form of dementia.

But while some practices are well above this rate, others have very few, or no patients at all, diagnosed with the disease, adding weight to the fear that thousands with the condition are not being diagnosed and are, therefore, living without treatment.

Dementia is a disease that normally affects older members of the population. Symptoms can include memory loss and difficulties with thinking, problem-solving or language. This is the first time this data has been mapped in this way for the North.

Experts have attributed the disparity in diagnosis to a lack of specialist services in some areas, as well as a failure by some GPs to make appropriate referrals. But the Royal College of GPs has said a stigma around dementia could also be preventing people from seeking a formal diagnosis.

Reacting to the figures, one of Northern Ireland’s health service’s leading officials in dementia care said the research should be a motivating factor to improve diagnosis rates.

Séamus McErlean, commissioning lead for Older People and Adult Services at the Health and Social Care Board, said a key issue was reassuring people that there was an infrastructure there to support people after a dementia diagnosis.

Mr McErlean said: “It’s about encouraging people to come forward and talk to their GPs if they have fear or concerns about their memory.”

In response to the analysis, the Department of Health said it recognised there was scope for improvement but claimed rates would be affected by general population characteristics.