Dementia services renamed to help fight stigma of condition | News and events

Dementia services at Norfolk and Suffolk’s mental health trust are being rebranded to reduce confusion over referrals and help to fight stigma of the condition.

From April 2026, Memory Services across Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) will be renamed Dementia Assessment Services (DAS). They will be identified by locality, for example DAS East Suffolk, DAS Central Norfolk, or DAS West Norfolk to provide a clear, consistent and geographically meaningful naming structure.

Clear and consistent service naming supports transparency, understanding, access and equity. As health and care services across Norfolk and Suffolk continue to integrate, a standardised approach ensures dementia services are easily identifiable for patients, carers and referrers, wherever they are. As conversations about dementia become normalised, the stigma associated with it reduces, and people are more likely to discuss concerns sooner, rather than waiting until life has become really challenging. 

Melanie D’ardis, Operational Manager for Older Adult Community Services in East Suffolk, said: “It can be distressing for service users when they find out what we do, even those on the waiting list, as dementia may have not been discussed with them at the point of referral. It is hoped the changes will provide greater clarity of function in the system as currently, referrals are made to our services for anything memory-related and not necessarily dementia-related.

“A lot of time is spent redirecting these referrals, with a rationale, which in turn increases demands on GPs because new referrals to other services must then be generated. And, most importantly, service users and carers are left waiting longer for the support they need.”

Chief nurse Anthony Deery supported the move towards a clearer definition of the services. “Going through the process of being assessed for dementia can be a traumatic experience for the person concerned and their families so clarity from the start is important. It is also important that we make it clear what the service covers to prevent referrals unrelated to dementia.”

The new naming approach aligns with the Suffolk Dementia Strategy (wherein “Dementia Assessment Service” is already used) and the Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care System Ageing Well Strategic Framework, both of which prioritise equity of access and consistent, person-centred care for people living with dementia.

It also reflects NHS England's Naming Principles and responds directly to feedback from the Healthwatch Suffolk Report on Dementia Diagnosis and Support, which highlighted the need for clearer service names to help people find the right support. People prefer to know where they are going, and why. The words we use to describe care are part of the care itself.

There are plans to evaluate and monitor the impact of the change, both in terms of reducing referrals for people who need a different type of service, and in terms of the degree of destigmatisation of dementia.

This is a name change only. There will be no changes to service offer, clinical pathways, referral routes and teams delivering care. All existing referrals and appointments will continue as planned.