Dementia diagnosis wait times are increasing in West Berkshire.
Dementia diagnosis wait times in West Berkshire are increasing. The average referral time is now around 69 days, and the district has the highest number of referrals in Berkshire.
West Berkshire already has a high prevalence of dementia, with rates expected to rise as the population continues to age.
Better Care Fund (BCF) funding is being used to commission voluntary sector support for both young people with dementia and older adults, and additional funding has been allocated to the Alzheimer’s Society to increase dementia care adviser capacity within West Berkshire. The area has also benefited from an extra £80,000 BCF investment (allocated over two years) within the Alzheimer’s Society contract, which has helped shorten waits compared with Reading.
During the Covid-19 peaks (2020-2021), mortality rates in West Berkshire were consistently higher than in previous years and remained elevated through 2022. That surge means greater diagnostic activity is now needed just to maintain previous diagnostic levels.
West Berkshire currently experiences some of the longest delays, which appears to correlate with its higher referral volumes compared with other local authority areas in Berkshire.
Discussions are under way to introduce an 18-week referral-to-diagnosis standard, aligning with benchmarks applied to planned care services. Mapping exercises and demand and capacity modelling are also being carried out to understand the patient journey, identify bottlenecks and highlight good practice to replicate.
“We are currently engaged in discussions to participate in the development of a new Dementia Hub,” said the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust.
“This initiative presents the potential opportunity to utilise clinic and meeting rooms in collaboration with other dementia services, fostering a more integrated and accessible model of care.
“While the project remains in its early stages, progress is steady and promising.
“With support from the trust, we have successfully reduced our patient wait list to 57 individuals as of the end of August 2025 – down from 164 in December 2024.
“Our mean wait time has improved, decreasing from 18 weeks in April 2025 to 14 weeks in August 2025.”
Back in 2023, West Berkshire Council said delays in MRI scans were impacting its waiting lists.
Dementia diagnosis waiting times will be discussed at the health scrutiny committee next Tuesday.
Niki Hinman, Local Democracy Reporter
