GPs to get an extra £55 for every dementia diagnosis

The aim of the six month £5 million scheme is to boost the number of sufferers who receive treatment for the condition.

17:58 22 October 2014

Family doctors in England will be paid £55 for each patient they diagnose with dementia in a new trial, it has been revealed.

This program - launched by NHS England - aims to increase the number of sufferers who receive treatment for the condition. Currently, it is estimated that 90,000 patients are living with undiagnosed dementia.

Dr Martin McShane, national director for long term conditions at NHS England, said: "Dementia can be devastating both for individuals and their families.

"We know that more needs to be done across the health service to ensure that people living with dementia are identified so that they can get the tailored care and support they need.

"This additional investment is part of a larger range of measures to support GPs in their work tackling dementia."

However, Prof Sir Simon Wessely, president of Royal College of Psychiatrists, said that the program will be more effective if the government invests more into social care and dementia research.

"This government has done well to increase funding and awareness of dementia, and I believe even more needs to be done," he said.

"But at the moment evidence favours either improving social care, or investing in research to find new treatments that actually modify the course of the disease. Until that happens I can see little point in this initiative.