Dr Max Pemberton describes how his 79-year-old mother waited 18 months for a dementia assessment, during which her condition deteriorated substantially. He argues that the experience exposes a postcode lottery in NHS dementia care, with some patients receiving comprehensive specialist support while others face understaffed services, long delays and minimal follow-up.

A brain scan indicated both vascular dementia and normal pressure hydrocephalus, a potentially treatable condition caused by excess fluid pressing on the brain. Although treatment with a shunt might have helped, his mother waited a further 18 months to see a neurosurgeon and is now bedbound, requiring carers four times daily. Pemberton supports calls for national dementia waiting-time targets, clearer treatment pathways, better access to specialists and psychological support.