Exeter dementia platform selected for NHS testing in national diagnosis drive

A digital platform developed through the University of Exeter’s PROTECT study is to be tested within the NHS as part of an £80 million programme aimed at improving dementia diagnosis.

The platform will allow people with mild cognitive impairment to monitor changes in their cognitive health from home. Researchers hope it could help NHS services identify those at greater risk, manage referrals more effectively and ensure patients receive an in-person assessment at the appropriate time.

PROTECT is one of nine projects selected for real-world NHS testing through the Dementia Challenge. The programme is examining new technologies and approaches that could diagnose dementia earlier and predict how the condition may progress.

The national ambition is for 92% of people to receive a diagnosis within 18 weeks of referral, compared with around 60% at present. Some patients currently wait more than a year, delaying their access to treatment, practical support and advice about future care.

Professor Anne Corbett, PROTECT study lead at the University of Exeter, said the project had spent 12 years involving people in health monitoring at home and developing a tool capable of detecting dementia risk earlier.

She said the NHS testing offered an opportunity to accelerate the platform’s introduction into healthcare, potentially helping to triage people waiting for a diagnosis while reducing pressure on overstretched services.

Earlier diagnosis can give people and their families more time to understand the condition, consider treatment and make decisions about care, work and finances. It may also help prevent avoidable hospital admissions and delay the need for more intensive support.

The NHS evaluation will now test whether the Exeter platform can deliver those benefits in everyday clinical practice. Its selection represents an important step towards adoption, although evidence from the testing phase will determine how widely the technology can ultimately be used.

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