Excellence in Healthcare Collaboration and Partnerships

Summary of work

Efforts to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease early have been controversial. In the absence of an effective treatment, policymakers have argued that there is little clinical benefit to diagnosing people early, creating worry for patients and extra pressures for the NHS. Nevertheless, many in the Alzheimer’s community believe that an early diagnosis – before there are any symptoms – can have major benefits for patients, carers and society. With an earlier diagnosis, people are able to live independently, with a higher quality of life, for longer.

With this in mind, MSD and ARUK set out to make the case for renewed action to diagnose Alzheimer’s earlier. By revealing the unmet need in dementia diagnosis, the partners captured the attention of key parliamentary champions. Uncovering new insights into the variation in care and support people living with dementia receive created the evidence needed to mobilise political support. The upshot: dementia is firmly back on the Government’s agenda, paving the way for future projects that will change the way dementia diagnosis is viewed.

Judges' comments

The judges felt there was a real partnership shown in this entry. There were some nice, creative elements incorporated, such as the VR at event and innovative use of data and data sharing.