The UK’s first one-stop shop for dementia diagnosis and care opens today and is set to transform how the NHS treats patients with the disease.
Experts say the ‘game-changing’ clinic in Manchester offers a fully-integrated service that combines rapid assessment, prevention advice and personalised support in a way that has not been brought together before.
It will be staffed by psychiatrists, vascular specialists, clinical academics and a multidisciplinary team to identify and support people at the earliest stages of memory loss.
People will benefit from advanced diagnostic techniques such as same-day MRI scans, lumbar punctures, heart health checks and behavioural assessments – delivering an earlier and accurate diagnosis.
This approach will also help identify underlying risk factors and help healthcare staff deliver the most effective treatment and personalised support plans.
Around one million people are believed to be living with dementia in the UK but a third do not have a formal diagnosis, preventing them from accessing effective care and support.
The Manchester Brain Health Centre is a two-year pilot spearheaded by Alzheimer’s Society in partnership with Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, The University of Manchester and supported by NHS Greater Manchester.
Alzheimer’s Society’s brain health advisers will work alongside NHS clinicians to offer personalised support, guidance and information to people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), an early stage of memory and thinking changes, or dementia, as well as to anyone looking to improve their brain health through achievable lifestyle and health changes.
Michelle Dyson, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Society, said: ‘Dementia is the UK’s biggest killer, but it is not an inevitable part of ageing’
Everyone experiences dementia differently. Use this checklist to help you make a note of your symptoms before you talk to your GP.
If the service proves a success it will be rolled out nationally.
Those who access the service will also be given the chance to take part in research and clinical trials.
Michelle Dyson, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Society, said: ‘Dementia is the UK’s biggest killer, but it is not an inevitable part of ageing.
‘Nearly half of dementia cases worldwide could be prevented or delayed by addressing health and lifestyle factors, throughout our lives, like high blood pressure.
‘If we can identify people early enough, we can significantly improve their brain health and help put the brakes on dementia.
‘The Manchester Brain Health Centre really is changing the game, and we are proud to be a partner.
‘This model could be replicated in other regions, transforming the future for thousands of people at risk of dementia or in the early stages of memory loss.’
The Daily Mail and Alzheimer’s Society have partnered in a drive to defeat dementia, which claims 76,000 lives a year as Britain’s biggest killer.
Our Defeating Dementia campaign aims to raise awareness of the disease, in an effort to increase early diagnosis, boost research and improve care.
People who meet the requirements for the Manchester Brain Health Centre will be identified through existing memory assessment services and referred directly.
Professor Adam Greenstein, consultant geriatrician at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, clinical scientist at University of Manchester and Alzheimer’s Society ambassador, said: ‘The Manchester Brain Health Centre is a game-changing approach which brings together partners who believe that greater collaboration can help diagnose more people at an earlier stage and improve health outcomes.
Professor Adam Greenstein, consultant geriatrician at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, clinical scientist at University of Manchester and Alzheimer’s society ambassador
‘We are combining clinical and research expertise to identify people earlier, address risk factors such as high blood pressure, and support patients to live better for longer.
‘This is an innovative step towards a proactive approach to brain health, and we are creating a model which we believe could be adopted more widely.
‘Through this pilot, we will be generating the evidence to support future service collaboration and development by clinical, research and academic teams across the country.’