15.10.12
Age concern
Age discrimination in the NHS must be eliminated, a new report has suggested.
The latest research urges that trusts consider all the aspects of a patient’s condition when deciding whether they should undergo surgery, rather than an arbitrary cut-off age.
Obviously patients’ health varies considerably, regardless of age, and there will be much fitter candidates for surgery who may be passed over for vital treatment due to a simple number.
The call is part of a growing movement to protect elderly patients’ rights and dignity, as it emerges that these people often suffer from discrimination and as a result poorer treatment.
Part of the respect NHS staff must hold for older patients includes their right to surgery if they are physically capable of undergoing it.
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