This report authored by Dr Edana Minghella provides the findings of her independent review of pathways to dementia diagnosis in the South West of England.

Download Pathways to dementia diagnosis: A review of services in the South West of England

Many commissioning organisations in the South West have responded to the challenge of improving the diagnosis of people with dementia by exploring new pathways to diagnosis and a variety of models are now emerging.

This report seeks to make an early comparison of these pathways, and what happens after diagnosis, to identify what makes a good pathway. The findings will be useful to both commissioners and service providers in developing existing models to suit the needs of their local populations whilst maintaining or improving standards.

This review also raises the profile of a cohort of people emerging from diagnostic services with not dementia but the even less certain diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment. Whilst this suggests that the public and GPs are getting the message about the value of earlier diagnosis, commissioners now also need to answer questions about how best to follow these people up in the future, and what support or prevention strategies to offer them in the meantime.