§ Ms AthertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what action his Department has taken to tackle discrimination against older people. [16328]
§ Jacqui SmithThe national service framework for older people (NSF), published 27 March 2001, provides the first co-ordinated programme of actions to ensure that older people are never unfairly discriminated against in accessing national health service or social care services as a result of their age. Standard one of the NSF sets out actions and the time scale for achievement of milestones to identify and address age discriminatory policies and practices in the provision of health and social care services.
To date, initial action has focused on ensuring older people are engaged in the policy and priority planning at national and local level; the undertaking of an audit of written, age-related policies in the NHS; and the development of guidance for undertaking a review of eligibility criteria for adult social care.