Bradford has been praised for leading the way in diagnosing dementia sufferers, but other parts of the district fall short.

Up to 65 per cent of cases in the city are being formally recognised, new figures show, way ahead of the national average of 48 per cent.

And almost 100 per cent of those identified sufferers are being properly referred to ‘memory clinics’ for the help they need.

It means both Bradford City (62.6 per cent diagnosis rate) and Bradford Districts (65.3 per cent) are among the top ten performers in England.

But the GP-led clinical commissioning group (CCG) in Airedale Wharfedale and Craven performs less well in the department of health analysis. It identifies only 49.5 per cent of sufferers and was unable to say what proportion of cases are referred to memory clinics.

The diagnosis rates are also lower in Calderdale (48.2 per cent), Leeds West (52.3 per cent) and North Kirklees (52.6 per cent).

The “dementia map” was released in an effort to drive up standards and end what campaigners have called a ‘postcode lottery’ in the treatment of sufferers.

Doctors are suspected of declining to make a formal diagnosis because they believe that doing so will cause undue distress to patients and relations.

But Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt likened attitudes towards dementia in many areas to the way past generations approached cancer and HIV/Aids.

He said: “In the 1960s, people were too scared to talk about cancer. In the 1980s, the same happened with HIV/Aids.

“After a long and painful journey, we are now much more open about both and better able to tackle them. We now need to do the same with dementia.”

A spokesman for Bradford City and Bradford Districts CCGs said: “We work closely with partner agencies to make sure that patients receive high- quality care. There is also good support and advice for families and carers, who play a major part in supporting the health and social wellbeing of people who have dementia.”

A spokesman for Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven CCG insisted dementia was also “one of our key priorities”.

He added: “We have introduced some intermediate care beds specifically for dementia patients in the community to prevent the need for admission to hospital.”

It is estimated as many as one in three people will eventually suffer from the condition, for which there is no cure. But Mr Hunt added: “With early diagnosis and proper help for families living with dementia, we can help people live healthily and happily at home for much longer”