Quality of diagnosis
Our aims
The initial aims of the project were to increase understanding of the different dementia diagnosis pathways in Greater Manchester, as well as the initial post diagnostic support offer for people following a diagnosis. The recommendations of this report (due to be published soon) will guide further work in this area.
Another initial aim was to develop a forum to support best practice and innovation, with a project group now in place that offers this space though we’re continuing to explore other opportunities to share knowledge and learning.
We’re aiming to develop guidance for practitioners who deliver a diagnosis.
Why this matters
“The main driver for a dementia diagnosis is that it facilitates access to care and support that enables people to manage and live well with a complex condition. Driving up diagnostic rates without investing in post-diagnosis support results in people with dementia feeling unsupported after their diagnosis” [1]
It’s known that memory assessment services and post-diagnostic support services are commissioned differently in each locality of Greater Manchester, though different service models have not previously been explored.
Unmet post diagnostic support need “increases the risk of adverse, costly and detrimental outcomes such as hospitalisation, carer breakdown and more rapid admittance to care homes for people affected by dementia” [2]. In contrast, good post diagnostic support care increases quality of life, enables care planning (including advance care planning), delays the need for costly residential care, and avoids unnecessary hospital admissions[3].
[1] https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/sites/default/files/2022-07/left-to-cope-alone-after-diagnosis-report.pdf
[2] https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-us/policy-and-influencing/our-position-key-dementia-challenges/diagnosis
[3] https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/docs/default-source/improving-care/nccmh/dementia/nccmh-dementia-care-pathway-full-implementation-guidance.pdf?sfvrsn=cdef189d_8#:~:text=The%20dementia%20care%20pathway%20introduced,post%2Ddiagnostic%20support%20and%20treatment
What we’ve achieved so far
We’ve developed a project group of stakeholders which continues to meet monthly. This group is a space to share best practice and innovation across organisations, as well as work on project aims and objectives.
We’ve collated information on the different diagnostic pathways and post diagnostic support offers across Greater Manchester and this is now available: Greater Manchester Pathways to Dementia Diagnosis and Post Diagnostic Support
We’ve developed principles for referrals from acute hospitals to memory assessment services and will be publishing this soon.
Useful national resources have been collated and are available here
What’s next?
We’ll be publishing the Greater Manchester Pathways to Dementia Diagnosis and Post Diagnostic Support soon and sharing this widely across the system. The recommendations of this report will guide future work.
We’ll also be publishing principles for referrals from acute hospitals to memory assessment services soon.
We’re working on guidance for practitioners who deliver a diagnosis.
The project group continues to meet on the first Tuesday of each month, 1-2pm via Teams, to progress this work. Please email k.thakuria1@nhs.net if you would like to join this group. We’re continuing to explore opportunities to share best practice across the Greater Manchester system.