GPs to receive extra dementia training

The Department of Health has confirmed that every GP in England is to receive additional training to help them to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease in their patients at the earliest possible stage. Better training in dementia will be extended to medical students as well as fully-qualified GPs. The scheme aims not only to enable earlier spotting of symptoms, but also to ensure that GPs refer patients showing early signs of dementia to a specialist service so that they can receive a full diagnosis.

Care Minister Phil Hope has also announced that the government plans to set up ‘memory clinics’ to help the public better understand dementia and to reduce the stigma attached to diseases like Alzheimer’s.