Families and carers are routinely waiting months — and in some areas years — for a formal dementia diagnosis, according to charity, audit and NHS trust material. Alzheimer’s Society and national audit data report the average wait from referral to diagnosis increased to roughly 17.7 weeks, while some services recorded waits as long as 104 weeks (around two years).

Local NHS trust papers and press reporting provide concrete examples of very long waits in specific memory services, with some follow-up or post-diagnostic consultations reported as taking around one to two years. An NHS trust board paper published in January 2026 includes waiting-time figures that reflect these extended local delays.

Peer-reviewed studies and international surveys echo the picture seen in the UK: the period from first symptoms to diagnosis is often measured in months to years. An Italian national survey cited in academic literature reported a median interval of about 12 months from first symptoms to diagnosis, with a quarter of people waiting three years or more.

Charities, campaigners and patient advocates warn that delayed diagnosis has practical harms for families and unpaid carers, affecting employment, finances, legal and care planning, and mental health. Those groups are using audit and survey findings to press for defined diagnostic standards and faster pathways.

Campaigners have called for a nationally recognised standard to guarantee an accurate dementia diagnosis within 18 weeks of a GP referral. That target has featured in recent public campaigning as advocates seek a clear maximum waiting time and faster access to specialist assessment and post-diagnostic support.

The combined findings from charities, national audits, local NHS trust papers and international research point to substantial variation in how long people wait for assessment and diagnosis. Campaigners say a national standard and faster diagnostic pathways would reduce that variation and mitigate the practical harms families report.