NICEimpact dementia

Last month, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) released their latest impact report, this time for dementia.

Impact reports share positive examples of where NICE guidance is improving outcomes, focusing on cost-effective, evidence-based care across priority health and care settings.

Highlighting that around 460,000 people in England currently have a diagnosis of dementia, and that a further 200,000 people remain undiagnosed, the report is segmented into useful themes, such as prevention, diagnosis, hospital care, social care and support for carers.

Figure taken from ‘Referral, diagnosis and care planning’ of NICEimpact dementia report.

Each section highlights the relevant guidance available, and details case studies, patient stories and statistics to depict overarching trends.

In prevention, for example, known lifestyle risk factors are noted, alongside data trends depicting smoking cessation, alcohol intake and obesity records. There are no case studies of good preventative care in this section; for thorough yet succinct guidance on preventative care for dementia, the new Brain Health Clinic blueprint online tool is a brilliant free resource to utilise.

Figure taken from Social Care section of NICEimpact dementia report.

There are a number of different conditions covered by the NICEimpact reports; those that may have relevance for neurology include Falls and Fragility, and Mental Health.