Discrimination against older patients who need surgery?
Older patients may be missing out on vital surgery due to age discrimination, according to a report by Age UK and the Royal College of Surgeons.
Access all Ages, a survey looking at the patterns of surgical treatment in relation to age, reveals that surgery rates decline steadily as age increases. It concludes that there may be informal cut-off points after which surgery is denied, and recommends that surgeons make the health of the person, rather than their age, the main consideration when assessing suitability for treatment.
On 1 October, a ban on age discrimination against adults in the provision of services and public functions came into force, under the Equality Act 2010.
This means any age-based practices by the NHS and social-care organisations would need to be objectively justified, if challenged.
Michelle Mitchell, of Age UK, says: “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.”
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