The UK government is backing an £80 million programme aimed at improving dementia diagnosis, with new technologies set to be tested in NHS settings to help people receive faster and more accurate assessments.

The programme will support trials of nine technologies designed to address delays and challenges in dementia diagnosis. The projects include new approaches involving brain imaging, blood-based biomarkers, digital cognitive assessments and artificial intelligence.

One of the technologies being tested could reduce the time required for an MRI brain scan from around 20 minutes to between six and eight minutes. Another project is developing a remote cognitive assessment that could be completed in about 15 minutes.

The programme aims to increase the proportion of people receiving a dementia diagnosis within 18 weeks of referral. Current figures indicate that around 60% of people receive a diagnosis within that timeframe, while the programme has set a target of 92%.

Funding will be linked to the performance of the technologies during NHS testing. Projects that demonstrate clear benefits can receive further support, while technologies that fail to show sufficient results will not progress through the programme.

The initiative is intended to help identify dementia earlier and give patients and their families more timely access to treatment, support and information about their condition. Faster diagnostic processes could also help reduce pressure on NHS services.

The £80 million programme does not represent an immediate nationwide introduction of the technologies. Instead, the projects will first undergo testing in real NHS environments to establish whether they can improve the speed and accuracy of dementia diagnosis.

If successful, the programme could provide evidence for wider adoption of new diagnostic tools across the NHS and contribute to changes in how dementia is assessed and diagnosed in the UK.