PEOPLE living with dementia in Somerset missed out on potentially vital care reviews they were entitled to last year, figures suggest.

NHS guidance states dementia patients’ mental and physical wellbeing should be re-assessed in a face-to-face review every 12 months, as they are more likely to suffer from depression and less likely to report physical problems.

Charity Alzheimer’s Society warned outdated care plans may increase the chances of those living with dementia being rushed to hospital for issues that could have been prevented with good care, such as falls and infections.

Figures from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities show 1,790 dementia patients in the NHS Somerset CCG area had their care plan reassessed in the year to March – 35% of those with a diagnosis.

This was a sharp drop from 2019-20, when 77% of patients received a dementia care review.

Across England, the proportion of those receiving a care review dropped dramatically, from 75% in 2019-20 to 40% last year.

Gavin Terry, head of policy at the Alzheimer’s Society said: “This drastic drop in the number of people with dementia getting their care plans reviewed over the past two years is yet more evidence of just how badly hit they have been by the Covid pandemic.

"Despite the best efforts of our brilliant NHS and care staff, people with dementia have seen their routine care continually paused and people with dementia had the highest death rate from Covid."

The figures also show that across England, the rate of people living with a dementia diagnosis has also dropped, from 0.79% of those registered with a GP in 2019-20, to 0.71% in 2020-21.

The prevalence among people of all ages across Somerset was 0.87% in 2020-21, lower than 0.96% in 2019-20.