Rampant Ageism In The NHS, UK

Main Category: Seniors / Aging
Article Date: 04 Mar 2008 - 4:00 PDT

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Government must outlaw age discrimination in all goods and services

Responding to recent media reports suggesting medical treatment is being denied to older people on the basis of their age, Help the Aged has issued a statement saying the NHS suffers from 'rampant ageism.'

Kate Jopling, head of public affairs at the Charity said:

"Age discrimination remains rife in our national health service, despite a government pledge as far back as 2001 to root it out. All too often, older people must resign themselves to a poorer standard of health care than their younger counterparts, simply because of their age.

"The Department of Health has acknowledged that there are deep-rooted negative attitudes and behaviours towards older people and these are at the heart of failure to provide decent services for them.

"Ageism manifests itself in a variety of ways: failure to offer treatment to older people that younger people are routinely given access to, the dearth of adequate funding and specialist services for older people, a cultural attitude that labels everything from daily aches and pains to life threatening illnesses when exhibited in over 65s as part and parcel of getting older.

"The NHS suffers from rampant ageism.

"More than half of older people (51 per cent) agree that health professionals dismiss symptoms as 'just old age.' *

"A recent survey found that more than 40 per cent of GP's and cardiologists treated patients aged over 65 years differently to those under 65 years, for example, older people were less likely than younger people to be prescribed cholesterol-lowering statins or referred to a cardiologist. **

"When compared with a 65-69 year-old, a woman aged 80 or older is five and a half times less likely to receive triple assessment for operable breast cancer and 40 times less likely to undergo surgery. ***

"We live in a society where racism and sexism are outlawed, yet age prejudice is tolerated and even accepted in goods, facilities and services.

"Two thirds (63 per cent) of older people feel that the Government is not doing enough to combat the barrage of discrimination they face in their daily lives. *

"The Government must take responsibility for protecting older people for years to come. Age discrimination - the last acceptable form of prejudice - must be made illegal immediately.

"As part of its Just Equal Treatment (JET) campaign to put ageism on an equal footing with racism and sexism, Help the Aged is campaigning to secure a ban on age discrimination in the provision of goods, facilities and services in the Single Equality Bill which was promised in Labour's 2005 election manifesto."

Notes

Help the Aged is currently campaigning to secure a change in the law to outlaw age discrimination in the provision of goods, facilities and services. Please visit here for information about 'Just Equal Treatment'.

* ICM interviewed a random sample of 1321 adults aged 60+ from its telephone panel between 8th -19th August 2007. Surveys were conducted across the country and the results have been weighted to the profile of all adults. ICM is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules. Further information at http://www.icmresearch.co.uk

** In a recent survey, more than 40% of GP's and cardiologists treated patients aged over 65 years differently to those under 65 years, for example, older people were less likely than younger people to be prescribed cholesterol-lowering statins or referred to a cardiologist (Harries, D Forrest, N Harvey, A McClelland and A Bowling, "Which Doctors are influenced by a patient's age? A multi-method study of angina treatment on general practice, cardiology and gerontology" Quality and Safety in Health Care 2007; 16, pp. 23-27, BMJ).

*** When compared with a 65-69 year-old, a woman aged 80 or older is five and a half times less likely to receive triple assessment for operable breast cancer and 40 times less likely to undergo surgery (Lavelle, Todd, Moran, Howell, Bundred, Campbell, "Non-standard management of breast cancer with age in the UK: a population based cohort of women & greater; 65 years", British Journal of Cancer, 27 March 2007).

Help the Aged is the charity fighting to free disadvantaged older people in the UK and overseas from poverty, isolation, neglect and ageism. It campaigns to raise public awareness of the issues affecting older people and to bring about policy change. The Charity delivers a range of services: information and advice, home support and community living, including international development work. These are supported by its paid-for services and fundraising activities - which aim to increase funding in the future to respond to the growing unmet needs of disadvantaged older people. Help the Aged also funds vital research into the health issues and experiences of older people to improve the quality of later life.

Help the Aged urgently needs donations and support to help it in the increasingly challenging fight to free disadvantaged older people from poverty, isolation and neglect.

Help the Aged