NHS Commissioning Board sets new DES for dementia

RNS Number : 7275C

Cambridge Cognition Holdings PLC

19 April 2013

 



Cambridge Cognition Holdings Plc

('Cambridge Cognition' or the 'Company')

NHS Commissioning Board sets out new DES for dementia

GPs to be offered financial incentives to test at risk groups for dementia

Cambridge Cognition Holdings plc, (AIM: COG), which specialises in computerised neuropsychological tests including those enabling the early detection of dementia, welcomes the NHS Commissioning Board specifications for the four new directed enhanced services ('DES') that will be offered to GP practices in 2013/14, which prioritises, amongst other conditions, the timely diagnosis and support for people with dementia.

The DES have been designed by the NHS Commission Board to reward GP practices for undertaking a proactive approach to the timely assessment of patients who may be at risk of dementia. GP practices are being invited to sign up to the DES before the end of June 2013, enabling them to qualify for funds under the Quality and Outcomes Framework, and according to the DES, an average-sized GP practice could receive an upfront payment of £2,587 to set up the service and will then be eligible to share in a national pool of £21m, depending on the number of assessments they complete.

The DES in full can be found here: http://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/ess-dementia.pdf

Commenting, Ruth Keir, Chief Executive Officer of Cambridge Cognition, said: "Nearly half of the 820,000 people living with dementia in the UK remain undiagnosed. If we are to reduce this in line with the Prime Minister's Dementia Challenge and allow those affected and their families to access the care they need and prepare for the future, the timely diagnosis of dementia must become a national priority.

"The DES plans published this month are a much needed opportunity to tackle the issue of dementia head on. By prioritizing the identification of and interaction with 'at risk' individuals and deploying swift, accurate assessment GPs can smooth the traditionally long and challenging path to diagnosis. However, it is vital that, moving forwards, GPs and health practitioners have access to the tools they need to conduct efficient and effective assessments and ensure they can help patients and their families to plan for the future."

In May 2012 Cambridge Cognition launched CANTABmobile™ in the UK, an approved CE-marked Class II medical device, to address the market need to rapidly detect early signs of cognitive impairment. The product, which runs on an iPad is targeted at the mainstream primary healthcare markets and can enable the early detection of dementia. In October 2012 the UK Technology Strategy Board, a body established by the UK Government to stimulate technology-enabled innovation, announced that they would provide a group of companies (including Cambridge Cognition) with a grant to continue work on a digital community-based dementia diagnosis service.

Cambridge Cognition recently announced its admission to the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange and a Placing with institutional investors to raise approximately £5.0m to accelerate the commercialisation of the CANTABmobile™ product and to complete the development of the CANTABmobile™ Secondary Care Dementia Product.

Enquiries:

Cambridge Cognition Holdings plc		Tel: [phone]
Ruth Keir, Chief Executive Officer
finnCap Ltd (Nomad and Broker)		Tel: [phone]
Matthew Robinson/Henrik Persson/ Simon Hicks	(Corporate Finance)
Simon Starr	(Corporate Broking)
Walbrook PR Ltd	Tel: [phone] or [e-mail]
Paul McManus		Mob: [phone]
Lianne Cawthorne		Mob: [phone]

About Cambridge Cognition

Cambridge Cognition develops and commercialises computerised neuropsychological tests for sale worldwide, principally in the UK, the US and Europe. Cambridge Cognition has created two well-established products, CANTABelect™ and CANTABeclipse™, which as standalone reportable segments have been profitable in each of the last three years. CANTABelect™ is for use in regulated clinical trials and CANTABeclipse™ is designed for use by researchers working in a non-regulated environment, typically in academia.

A third product, CANTABmobile™, was launched in the UK in May 2012, targeted at mainstream primary healthcare markets, in particular to enable the early detection of dementia.

 

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