Less than half of people told of dementia diagnosis

The Health Secretary's comments come as the Alzheimer's Society warned that dementia sufferers are facing a postcode lottery of diagnosis rates.

It released data suggesting that in some areas of the UK, as few as one in three people suffering from the condition will receive a formal diagnosis, while in other areas three quarters of sufferers will be told by a doctor about their condition.

• Across the UK just 46% of sufferers were diagnosed in 2012

The charity said that while the latest figure is an improvement on the previous year, there are still thought to be 428,500 people in the UK who have the condition but have not been diagnosed.

• Diagnosis rates were best in Scotland where 64.4% of of suffers were told about their condition
• In Wales, just 38.5% of sufferers formally received a diagnosis in 2012
• 44.2% of people with the condition in England were diagnosed
• With 63% in Northern Ireland.