Islington's memory services are facing significant referral waits, with patients experiencing an 18-week delay for assessments. This situation was described as concerning
by councillors during a Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee meeting on Thursday, 15 October 2026.
The lengthy waiting times are attributed to a supply and demand imbalance
in the number of people needing assessments versus the available staff capacity. Carl Milner, Director of Comms, Marketing and Engagement for North London NHS Foundation Trust, explained that while the trust is working to address the issue, the current demand significantly outstrips the trust's ability to provide timely assessments.
The consequences of an 18-week delay are considerable. Councillors heard that a delayed diagnosis means delayed treatment, means stress and anxiety for family members and or carers and even adult professionals if it's an early onset case.
This can lead to delayed diagnoses, increased stress and anxiety for families and carers, and potentially a deterioration in the condition of patients.
Abdi Ali, a senior consultant social worker with the trust, highlighted that specific staffing roles are affected by these shortages due to the overall imbalance. Efforts are being made to develop outreach programmes to identify individuals needing memory support sooner within the community. The trust is also working to support people with known memory needs in care homes through a dedicated care home liaison role.
However, the core issue remains the supply and demand imbalance, with a high number of people requiring assessment and a limited number of staff available to conduct them. The trust acknowledged that this is a priority area for improvement, particularly given the impact on patients and their families. Further details on the committee's discussions can be found in the Public reports pack for the meeting.