DEMENTIA care in Britain is “stuck in a system of delay, denial and neglect,” a charity has said.

Alzheimer’s Society analysis found that people are waiting almost six months for a diagnosis after their GP referred them to a memory clinic.

These waits would never be tolerated for other illnesses such as cancer, yet have become routine for dementia, the charity said.

It estimates that about a million people in Britain have dementia, a number likely to rise to 1.4 million by 2040.

The charity’s new report has highlighted patients being missed at every stage, with people waiting on average for three-and-a-half years from first symptoms to diagnosis, almost six months of that time after a GP referral to a memory clinic; it also shows that nearly 250,000 people in England are diagnosed with memory problems but there is no national system to monitor progression.

One patient, Anita, 50, waited seven years for a diagnosis. Her symptoms were repeatedly dismissed as stress, anxiety and menopause.

“I knew something wasn’t right, but no-one listened,” she said. “By the time I was diagnosed, I had lost my job, my independence and my future.”

Alzheimer’s Society chief executive Michelle Dyson said: “Dementia care in the UK is stuck in a system of delay, denial and neglect.

“This is not a backlog problem. It is a system that is missing people at every stage, and while the system waits, dementia progresses — stealing time, independence and dignity.”

A Department of Health & Social Care spokesperson said the government is investing in dementia research and that it will deliver “the first ever modern service framework” for such illnesses.