England's Dementia Diagnosis Landscape: Strengths, Limitations, and Future Directions
ABSTRACT Background The National Health Service (NHS) England Primary Care Dementia Data (PCDD) provides a comprehensive dementia registry, underpinning national policy to improve diagnosis, care, and support. Methods This paper evaluates the PCDD in comparison with international quality dementia registries (SveDem, NorCog, ADNeT). Results We highlight strengths in PCDD coverage and case ascertainment, but also weaknesses in diagnostic specificity and post‐diagnostic metrics. Conclusions We review currently collected metrics and discuss potential data expansions, including dementia severity and NICE‐approved therapy uptake, alongside new targets, such as an 18‐week standard for memory assessment service referrals.
Authors
- Robert Howard (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3071-2338)
- Jemma Hazan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7223-4768)
- Jeremy D. Isaacs (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2745-9597)
Institutions
- St George's, University of London (GB)
- North East London NHS Foundation Trust (GB)
- St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (GB)
- University College London (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
- Published
- 2026-07-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.70236
- Primary Topic
- Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00