3 days ago
Patients waiting up to a year for dementia diagnosis in Scotland
Patients suffering dementia symptoms are being 'left in limbo' for more than a year as they wait for NHS tests in Scotland.
The latest records show 650 people with cognitive problems, such as memory lapses, are queuing for specialist assessment in the Lothians alone — with the longest delay extending to 55 weeks.
In Ayrshire and Arran the maximum wait to see an old-age psychiatrist is 381 days.
Henry Simmons, chief executive of the charity Alzheimer Scotland, said patients 'are losing the opportunity to have control for as long as possible' because of the long queues.
Drug advances have raised the possibility of halting the progression of Alzheimer's disease if it is caught in the early stages. Prompt diagnosis also increases the chance that a patient will understand their illness and can plan their future care.
