Inquiry sought into NHS 'ageism'

The report studied patients at Scotland's busiest hospitals

Pressure is mounting for an inquiry after a study of Scottish hospitals found younger patients were more likely to receive treatment.

The NHS report, which covered 11,500 patients in the accident and emergency departments of Scotland's 20 busiest hospitals, found doctors were forced to discriminate against the elderly because of a lack of resources.

That finding has prompted calls from Help the Aged and Age Concern for an inquiry into ageism in the NHS.

It is tragic that people are being denied long years of happy life because of age discrimination.

Jessie Barrow of Age Concern Scotland

The report's author Patrick Grant, a consultant at Glasgow Western Infirmary's accident and emergency department, said it showed that age is a factor in the treatment of trauma patients.

He does not blame staff and said that chronic underfunding of the NHS forced them to make difficult decisions about treatment.

He said: "I think the most important thing to come out of this report is that it appears to suggest that age does look to be an independent factor in the management of traumatised patients in Scotland.

"The factors that age appeared to have an influence were in the number of patients admitted to the resuscitation rooms in Scotland, the number of patients who were subsequently admitted to intensive care units, and the number of patients who were transferred to the regional neurosurgical units.

Patrick Grant: "Chronic underfunding"

"There are a number of different factors involved in this and one of the most important is what are the medical problems of individual patients, but it's important to recognise that this isn't an individual patients study.

"This is a large study that looked at trends in management of certain key variables and the ones that I just mentioned appeared to suggest that age looked to be an independent factor.

"I think it is quite concerning and part of the reason, if we are looking for an explanation, is related to resources.

"I think it is principally driven by funding and chronic underfunding of the health service. Individual staff are not displaying evidence of ageism."

Liz Duncan, of Help the Aged's Scottish executive, said: "Older people are by far the biggest group of users of health services.

Elderly 'written off'

"And yet, time and time again, Help the Aged hear of examples where people are having difficulty accessing treatment and services.

"The NHS was built on the value of providing treatment on the basis of need, not age."

Jess Barrow, Age Concern Scotland's policy manager, said: "It is tragic that people are being denied long years of happy life because of age discrimination. Many people aged 60 and 70 are being written off by the NHS."

Scottish National Party health spokesman Duncan Hamilton said: "The NHS was founded to provide a high standard of health care for everybody in society, regardless of age or any other factors.

Executive denials

"It beggars belief that chronic underfunding is having such a detrimental effect on the quality of health service for elderly patients.

"We have seen an increase in health spending for England and Wales but Scotland has to make do with what is has.

"This latest damning report exposes just how desperate the situation here in Scotland is."

Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokeswoman Nora Radcliffe said: "This report is deeply concerning. It is unacceptable that treatment in the highly volatile and quick-reaction environment of hospital casualty departments may be compromised because of a patient's age."

The Scottish Executive has consistently denied that NHS staff are forced to discriminate against the elderly.

However, a spokesman said that it may now have to reassess how the NHS deals with older patients.