Most dementia patients wait far beyond the legal assessment deadline
Monday 5th October 2026 on 14:45 in
Denmark
About 84 percent of patients referred for dementia assessments are not assessed within the 30-day legal limit, according to a National Audit Office review reported by DR. The average wait in 2025 was 165 days, more than five times the deadline.
The review found that 24,960 patients were not assessed within the legal timeframe between 2022 and 2025. The National Audit Office said long waits increase the risk that patients receive appropriate treatment and support too late.
The State Auditors have issued sharp criticism of the regions’ handling of dementia assessments. Their criticism is the second-highest level they can issue. State Auditor Leif Lahn said the report showed that reality fell far short of the legal requirement. The health minister has four months to respond.
Problems with reporting and access to specialist examinations
The National Audit Office also found that some regions register patients as fully assessed at their first appointment, even when the assessment is still under way. It said this gives an overly positive picture of whether the regions meet the right to a prompt assessment.
Regions have cited a lack of capacity to explain the delays, but the audit office said this is not a valid reason under the law. It also found that 29 percent of patients do not receive a specialist examination despite being entitled to one. Patients from stronger social backgrounds are assessed 24 days faster, on average, than those from weaker social backgrounds.
The National Audit Office, which reviews public institutions on behalf of parliament, launched the investigation after years of criticism over delays. Stephanie Lose, the new chair of the State Auditors, had declared herself ineligible to take part in this case.
More people are being assessed
The number of people assessed for dementia rose from 7,938 in 2016 to 11,790 in 2025, an increase of 49 percent. A total of 8,432 people received a dementia diagnosis in 2025. Around 100,000 people in Denmark are estimated to be living with dementia, a figure expected to reach 145,000 by 2040. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for about half of dementia cases.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in her New Year’s speech that a national dementia plan would be introduced in 2026. The government has said it will allocate 680 million kroner over the next four years to a new plan, but has not yet presented its details.
The chair of Danish Regions, Mads Duedahl, said the criticism over waiting times was justified and that delays are often burdensome for patients and relatives. He said the regions would work to assess more people, rethink how assessments are organised and enable general practitioners to carry out more of them.