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Systemic disadvantages facing UK ethnic elders within dementia healthcare
Hari Subramaniam, Elizabeta B. Mukaetova Ladinska. BJPsych Advances, 2025-07-02
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
SUMMARY Reduced access to dementia healthcare services by elders from ethnic minority backgrounds is often a manifestation of underlying systemic disadvantages within dementia assessment and treatment services. In this narrative review of current literature on UK dementia healthcare services we identify risk factors contributing to the inequalities faced by people with dementia from ethnic minorities, point to major knowledge gaps in dementia diagnosis, management and long-term care for these groups and highlight clinical challenges arising in delivering services to them. We describe the inequity in diagnostic rates, their poorer treatment outcomes and the lack of culture-specific support for people from ethnic minority communities. We present proposals for South Asian and the Black ethnic minority groups by which local healthcare systems may minimise some of these disadvantages. This will enhance our understanding of the aetiology and management of long-term conditions such as dementia by improving access to and dialogue with ethnic minority communities and healthcare providers.
Key findings
- SUMMARY Reduced access to dementia healthcare services by elders from ethnic minority backgrounds is often a manifestation of underlying systemic disadvantages within dementia assessment and treatment services.
- In this narrative review of current literature on UK dementia healthcare services we identify risk factors contributing to the inequalities faced by people with dementia from ethnic minorities, point to major knowledge gaps in dementia diagnosis, management and long-term care for these groups and highlight clinical challenges arising in delivering services to them.
- We describe the inequity in diagnostic rates, their poorer treatment outcomes and the lack of culture-specific support for people from ethnic minority communities.
- We present proposals for South Asian and the Black ethnic minority groups by which local healthcare systems may minimise some of these disadvantages.
- This will enhance our understanding of the aetiology and management of long-term conditions such as dementia by improving access to and dialogue with ethnic minority communities and healthcare providers.
Why it matters
This narrative review describes reduced access to dementia healthcare and poorer treatment outcomes for UK ethnic minority elders, and proposes ways local systems may reduce these disadvantages. It is about inequalities in diagnosis, management, and long-term care, not about curing or preventing dementia.
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Study details
- Study designnarrative review
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 35/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on senior author's track record, so that was left out: it earned 34 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 35 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (BJPsych Advances) |
| Journal's citation record | 0 / 4 | BJPsych Advances: journal h-index 37 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | Design recorded as “narrative review”, which our rubric does not rank (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 2 / 7 | Cited 5 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 1.7 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 3.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 1 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 5 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | OpenAlex's profile for last-listed author Elizabeta B. Mukaetova Ladinska holds only 3 work(s), too few to judge a track record — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | University of Leicester: institution h-index 862 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 1 / 2 | Not in PubMed, but has a DOI |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Points | 34 / 96 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 34 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 35 out of 100. |
| Total | 35 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Subramaniam, H., & Ladinska, E. B. M. (2025). Systemic disadvantages facing UK ethnic elders within dementia healthcare. BJPsych Advances. https://doi.org/10.1192/bja.2025.10115
Vancouver
Subramaniam H, Ladinska EBM. Systemic disadvantages facing UK ethnic elders within dementia healthcare. BJPsych Advances. 2025. doi:10.1192/bja.2025.10115.
BibTeX
@article{subramaniam2025-da51ef18,
author = {Subramaniam, Hari and Ladinska, Elizabeta B. Mukaetova},
title = {{Systemic disadvantages facing UK ethnic elders within dementia healthcare}},
journal = {BJPsych Advances},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1192/bja.2025.10115},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1192/bja.2025.10115}
}
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