According to a report by the Times, patients with Alzheimer’s disease are still being denied drugs (donepezil, galantamine, rivastigmine and memantine) despite NICE approval of these drugs.

Forty percent of frontline staff surveyed at the Alzheimer's Society said that Alzheimer’s drugs were still not being prescribed in accordance with NICE guidance, while one third said that they knew of people being refused treatment in the past three months.

The most common reason cited by patients who were denied treatment and support was a lack of awareness among GPs regarding symptoms, services and treatments for people with Alzheimer’s disease. The second biggest barrier was the reluctance of GPs or consultants to prescribe the drugs.

The Department of Health has announced a £10 million fund for memory services to help people with dementia be identified early and treated more effectively and is raising the awareness of dementia through public information campaigns.