A National Memory Clinic Survey to Assess Provision for People from Diverse Ethnic Backgrounds in England and Wales.

Shovanne Brown,Naaheed Mukadam,Gill Livingston

doi:10.3390/ijerph18041456

Abstract

English national guidelines regarding dementia assessment and management recommend consideration of cultural and linguistic diversity when assessing people with cognitive complaints. To date there has been no assessment of adherence to these guidelines. We aimed to assess whether current services provided in memory assessment services (MAS) adhere to national policy, in their approach to the assessment and management of individuals with memory problems from minority ethnic backgrounds. We sent a survey to 213 memory services in England and Wales. Twenty MAS from seven regions responded to the survey. We found that 80% (16) provided translated resources, 70% (14) used cognitive assessment tools that are culturally sensitive and appropriate, and 65% (13) showed good use of sufficiently skilled and knowledgeable interpreters. Communication barriers, particularly language, were raised as a potential obstacle to diagnosing minority ethnic patients. Memory clinics appear to reflect national policy for the assessment and management of memory problems in minority ethnic patients. However, only a minority of services responded and they may be more engaged in considering these populations. We need wider knowledge of practice to explore how guidelines support healthcare professional’s assessment of patients from minority ethnic groups in memory service diagnostic procedures.

Highlights

The United Kingdom (UK) has a sizeable minority ethnic population making up 15%of the whole population and 39% of the London population [1]
Almost half-8(40%) of participating memory assessment service (MAS) were based in Greater London where a greater range of diversity in patients is seen, possibly due to the higher percentage of minority ethnic groups making up the total population
This study shows that in general MAS respondents recognise the linguistic and cultural needs of minority ethnic patients, attempt to overcome the recognised obstacles of diagnosing these patients and provide culturally sensitive and appropriate services including the use of professional interpreters, translated resources and use of culturally sensitive cognitive assessment tools, which reflects national policy for dementia assessment and management

Summary

Introduction

The United Kingdom (UK) has a sizeable minority ethnic population making up 15%of the whole population and 39% of the London population [1]. The United Kingdom (UK) has a sizeable minority ethnic population making up 15%. An estimated 25,000 people in the UK living with dementia are from minority ethnic backgrounds [2]. This number is expected to double to 50,000 by 2026 [3]. With an increased prevalence of dementia [4,5,6], it is important that minority ethnic patients can access services that address their cultural and linguistic needs, facilitating timely and accurate diagnosis. In the UK, the main pathway to obtaining a dementia diagnosis for older adults is referral to a memory assessment service (MAS) where trained clinicians (usually psychiatrists) will clinically assess and diagnose dementia with the aid of imaging and neuropsychological testing where needed.

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