WIREDGOV

Access all Ages, a new survey which examines the patterns of surgical treatment in relation to age, has revealed that whilst our health needs increase with age, planned surgery rates decline steadily for people as they grow older.

The study, which was conducted by Age UK, also warns that the £20bn NHS efficiency drive could increase the danger of older people being disproportionately impacted - because of the perceived reduction in the cost effectiveness of providing treatment when relative life expectancy is shorter.

Michelle Mitchell, of Age UK, said: 'When it comes to peoples’ health, their date of birth actually tells you very little. A healthy living 80 year old could literally run rings round someone many years younger who does not share the same good health. Yet in the past, too many medical decisions we believe have been made on age alone with informal 'cut-offs' imposed so that people over a certain age were denied treatment.

'This report shows the large gap between the number of people living with a condition or health need and the surgery rates to treat older people. We would like surgeons and other health professionals to read this report carefully and examine what they can do to ensure that age discrimination is eradicated from the NHS, as legislation now demands.'

Access all Ages recommends that, as people are living longer and healthier lives, a person’s overall health – or 'biological age' - must be the main consideration when assessing their suitability for treatment.

The report concludes that there should be no informal ‘cut-offs’ and that older patients and their families must be supported to challenge this where they suspect it is happening.

At the beginning of this month, a new ban on age discrimination in the NHS came into effect - providing  a legal framework to ensure that older patients receive the most appropriate treatment for their individual needs, whatever their date of birth.

Read the report:

‘Access all Ages: Assessing the impact of age on access to surgical treatment’ (PDF, 2MB)