New community dementia diagnosis pilot brings assessment closer to home
Date added: 03 July 2026
Last updated: 03 July 2026
A new community-based pilot is bringing dementia diagnosis closer to home for people across Kent and Medway, to help more people gain access to assessment and diagnosis closer to home.
Launched in Folkestone, Hythe and Rural Primary Care Network (PCN) as part of the Kent and Medway Dementia Transformation Programme, the pilot brings GPs, community teams and specialist clinicians together to provide more dementia assessments in community settings, while ensuring people with more complex needs continue to have access to specialist services.
Dr Adrian Richardson, Director of Partnerships and Transformation at Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust said: “This pilot is an important opportunity to explore a different way of delivering dementia diagnosis, bringing care closer to home where it is safe and appropriate to do so. By working across primary care, community services and specialist teams, we want to improve people’s experience while building a model that can meet future demand.”
Learning from the pilot will help inform whether this approach could be introduced more widely across Kent and Medway, taking account of workforce capacity, clinical safety and local system readiness.
Dr Rakesh Koria, Clinical Lead for Ageing and Dying Well at NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board, said: “Dementia is a life changing long term condition that affects people who are already being seen for many other needs by the GP and Community team members.
“Diagnosing and supporting their holistic needs together makes perfect sense. This approach supports specialist, community and GP teams to work together more confidently, helping people access a diagnosis earlier and more appropriately, while ensuring specialist services remain available for more complex cases.”
People living with dementia and unpaid carers have helped shape the programme by sharing what matters most to them. Their feedback highlighted the importance of clear communication at diagnosis, understanding what happens next and having access to practical support afterwards.
Chris who has lived experience, said: “My hope is that people will be able to get a timely dementia diagnosis and the right support when they need it.”
Anne-Marie who has lived experience, said: “The idea of having community support as part of the dementia diagnosis journey is absolutely fantastic. I think everybody should have that level of support when they go through a diagnosis.”
The community pilot sits alongside wider work to improve dementia diagnosis and care across Kent and Medway, including training and support for primary care teams and care homes.
Together, these improvements are helping build a dementia pathway that is clinically safe, consistent and shaped by the experiences of people living with dementia and those who care for them.
Further engagement through local networks, communities of practice and social care webinars will continue to gather feedback and help shape future delivery.
