England meets its dementia diagnosis target, but follow-up reviews lag behind

The diagnosis target is met for the first time since March 2020

66.7% of people aged 65 and over estimated to have dementia had a recorded diagnosis (opens in a new tab) on 30 September 2026. That meets NHS England's two-thirds ambition for the first time since before the coronavirus pandemic. It was last met in March 2020.

Behind the rate, 523,081 people in England had a recorded dementia diagnosis (opens in a new tab), an increase of 6,851 since 30 June 2026. That compares with 470,292 when the target was last met. We covered the record total, and the case for measuring how long people wait for a diagnosis, in our earlier piece on the 523,081 figure.

The number that matters more for care sits underneath. More than a third of people with a dementia diagnosis had no care-plan review in the past year. Care homes and home care services planning support for those people cannot assume the GP record is up to date.

Diagnosis is running ahead of review

Of everyone with a recorded diagnosis, 329,398 (63.0%) had a care plan or care-plan review in the preceding 12 months, according to NHS England's quarterly data. The rest, more than a third, had none.

Medicines tell a similar story. Since 1 April 2026, 162,607 medication reviews (49.4% of those eligible) have been carried out among people with a diagnosis who had also had a care-plan review. That is half of the group already reviewed, not half of everyone diagnosed.

A registered manager taking on someone with dementia, in a home or through home care, can ask the GP when the care plan and medicines were last reviewed. If the local picture matches the national one, there is a fair chance the answer is more than a year ago.

More diagnoses also mean more people whose needs are named. People living with dementia may need increasingly tailored support with daily activities, communication and mobility, as The Carer noted (opens in a new tab). That support is harder to plan from an old review.

The headline figures do not show where people live

The figures do not show how many of the 523,081 live in care homes rather than their own homes. Nor do they show whether GP care-plan reviews are shared with the care home or home care provider. Commissioners judging demand for dementia support in their area will need local data alongside these national totals.

A national vision, with no timeline or funding yet

Dr Jeremy Isaacs, NHS England's national clinical director for dementia, put the gain at about 50,000 more people diagnosed than in March 2020. He also said NHS England is working with government to develop a national vision for dementia care.

No timeline or funding figure for that vision has yet been set out. It joins a national dementia tsar post with no budget or powers set out.

The diagnosis target counts how many people are found. It does not count how many are followed up. Will the new vision measure the reviews that more than a third of diagnosed people went without?