The number of prescriptions to treat Alzheimer’s has rocketed 600% in a decade, according to statistics released by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC).

Prescription figures for medication approved to treat Alzheimer’s have soared from 502,000 in 2004 to 3m in 2014 in England alone.

In 2014 the cost to the NHS was £47.5m, up from £42.8m in 2004 but down significantly from the peak of £110.8m in 2011.

The statistics have been published as part of the Focus On Dementia report that pulls together a range of information on dementia for the first time.

Responsible statistician Jonathan Hope said: “Our ageing population means that the way we diagnose, treat and care for people with dementia will be increasingly important to many of us.

“I hope that bringing statistics together from different aspects of health and care services can give us a more rounded picture of the treatment and experiences of those with dementia and their carers.”

The figures were given for prescriptions of the four medicines appraised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to treat Alzheimer’s disease.

They are Donepezil Hydrochloride, Galantamine, Rivastigmine and Memantine.

The report also showed the number of patients diagnosed with dementia in their GP record rose from 643 per 100,000 people in April 2014 to 755 people in the same number in December 2015.