Help the Aged: Ageing population is big concern

Help the Aged has advised that plans for the future of the NHS must take into account older people and the fact that the UK has an ageing population.

Its comments follow a review by surgeon and health minister Lord Ara Darzi that formed the basis of the government's proposals for the next ten years of the NHS.

"Some of the most vulnerable members of our society rely on the NHS to take care of them," said Paul Cann, director of policy at Help the Aged.

"But inequalities persist in access to and quality of healthcare. Despite many nurses and doctors working against the odds to give their best, older people are too often forced to suffer services which fall below the basic standards of care in areas such as nutrition and privacy."

He added that the charity is eager to see if the government's proposals will turn into positive action.

"It is all very well for the government to promise legal rights and new constitutional arrangements for the NHS - but the real question is whether an older person engaging with the healthcare system can be confident that they will be treated with dignity and respect," Mr Cann explained.

"Achieving this goal will require much more than paper promises. It will require concerted effort and a determined drive to change the deep-rooted ageist attitudes which underlie the indignity so many older people face."