A full memory assessment: physical examination and blood tests, formal cognitive testing, imaging where it is needed, and a diagnosis from a consultant old age psychiatrist. You receive a written report and a management plan, and a copy goes to your GP so your care continues properly.
And the thing worth knowing before you book: a good many memory problems are not dementia. Several of the causes are treatable, and finding that out is one of the more common outcomes of an assessment
Not Every Memory Problem Is Dementia
Depression, an underactive thyroid, B12 deficiency, poor sleep, alcohol and a surprising number of everyday medicines all cause memory and concentration problems that look convincing. Several of them are entirely reversible, and a proper assessment is how you tell the difference.
Where it is dementia, finding out early genuinely matters. The treatments that exist work better when started early, and a diagnosis while someone still has capacity is what allows them to make their own decisions about care, finances and a lasting power of attorney, rather than having those decisions made for them later.
Diagnosed by the Right Kind of Specialist
Memory assessment is old age psychiatry, and that is a speciality in its own right. It is not general psychiatry and it is not neurology. Being assessed by someone who does this all week is the difference between a diagnosis you can rely on and a report that says “possible cognitive impairment”.
NHS memory clinics are properly staffed and free, and in much of the country, the wait to be seen runs to months. Waiting is not a neutral state when someone is frightened about their own mind, or when a family is trying to make decisions without knowing what they are dealing with.
The first appointment is usually available within days. The full process runs across more than one visit because blood results and imaging have to come back before a diagnosis can responsibly be reached, and no honest service compresses that into an afternoon.
Clinics run Monday to Friday, 8am to 7pm, and Saturday 9am - 2pm.
Tell us at booking. Mobility, confusion in unfamiliar places and reluctance to attend are all common with memory problems, and they are practical obstacles rather than reasons not to be assessed. We will work out the most manageable way to do it.
Step 1
Your history, your current medicines and an initial screen. Bring someone who knows you well, and treat that as a clinical request rather than a courtesy.
Step 2
Bloods, urine and an ECG, looking specifically for the treatable causes.
Step 3
Formal testing with the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination.
Step 4
A referral letter for CT or MRI, arranged for you and paid directly to the radiology centre.
Step 5
The consultant old age psychiatrist reviews everything together, reaches a diagnosis, and you receive a written report and a management plan. A copy goes to your GP.
Old Age Psychiatry, Specifically
Old age psychiatry is the discipline that covers dementia and the cognitive disorders of later life, and a consultant on that specialist register should lead a memory assessment.
Consultant Adult Psychiatrist
An experienced Private GP and medical director of Private Medical Clinic.
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Assessment is available at clinics across the UK. Choose your nearest, and if travelling is difficult, tell us at booking rather than putting it off.
Membership is for people who want ongoing general practice for themselves or a family member, and it can become useful afterwards if regular review becomes part of the picture.
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A memory assessment is a structured evaluation of how well your memory and thinking are working, and why. It is carried out by a consultant old age psychiatrist and combines validated cognitive testing, such as the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination, with a physical evaluation, blood tests and a full history taken from you and, where you wish, your family.
The purpose is not only to identify dementia. Many causes of memory change are treatable, including depression, thyroid disorders, vitamin deficiencies, sleep problems, medication side effects and the effects of prolonged stress. A proper assessment separates those from progressive conditions, so that treatment can start where it will help and planning can begin where it is needed.
NHS memory clinics are properly staffed; they are free, and for many families, they are the right choice. The difference is time, and time is what people are usually buying here.
| Private Memory Assessment | NHS Memory Assessment | |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Book directly, no referral needed | GP referral required |
| Waiting time | Usually within days | Often several months |
| Assessed by | Consultant old age psychiatrist | Varies by service |
| Appointment length | No strict time limit | Limited by service capacity |
| Cognitive testing | Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination and other validated tests | Validated testing, varies by service |
| Imaging | Arranged where clinically indicated, charged separately | Arranged within the NHS pathway |
| Written report | Provided after the assessment | Provided to your GP |
| Cost | £1,295 | Free at point of use |
Using a private service does not affect your NHS registration, and findings can be shared with your NHS GP with your consent.
£1,295 for the whole assessment process. The CT or MRI scan is not included and is paid directly to the radiology centre.
No, and be wary of anyone who offers one. A dementia diagnosis rests on cognitive testing, blood results and often a scan. The assessment can start the same day. The diagnosis follows the results.
Dementia in its various forms, mild cognitive impairment, and the many other causes of memory difficulty, including depression, thyroid disease, vitamin deficiency and medication effects.
Yes, please, and it is a clinical request rather than a courtesy. What a relative or close friend has noticed is diagnostically important, and it is often the most useful information in the whole assessment.
You receive a personalised management plan, including medication where appropriate. Ongoing care can continue here or transfer to NHS services, and we will talk through which suits you.
Yes, through a GP referral to a memory clinic, and it is free and includes the scan. The wait is often several months. Ask your GP before you book here.
Assessment begins within days. The full sequence runs over more than one appointment because blood tests and imaging have to come back before a diagnosis can responsibly be reached.
The Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination, which assesses attention, memory, language, verbal fluency and visuospatial ability separately.
No. Imaging is arranged where the assessment indicates it, not automatically.
Yes. A written report goes to your GP, so ongoing care is joined up rather than sitting in a private file.
Yes, for three reasons. Some causes are reversible, and treating them changes everything. When it is dementia, treatment works better if started early. And a diagnosis while capacity is intact lets the person make their own decisions about care, finances and a lasting power of attorney.
Tell us at booking. Mobility issues and reluctance to attend are common with memory problems, and they are practical obstacles rather than reasons to put it off.
Book an assessment at your nearest clinic. A consultant old-age psychiatrist will check the treatable causes first and provide a written diagnosis you can act on. Bring someone who knows you well.
