NHS board chief criticised for comments
NHS Commissioning Board chief executive Sir David Nicholson has been criticised by doctors for his comments that hospitals are "very bad places" for older adults.
The British Geriatrics Society represents doctors who specialise in the care of older adults and its president has slammed Sir David's remarks, the Daily Telegraph reports.
Professor Paul Knight said: "There is a pervasive attitude that ‘hospitals are the wrong place for older people'."
He explained this is a worrying development because research conducted by the Department of Health (DH) has found that the quality of care offered to older adults diminishes if staff perceive the patient "should not be there".
Prof Knight also revealed that frail, older people are 25 per cent more likely to survive their stay if they are placed in a specialist unit with other people of the same age.
A spokesman for the DH said: "The challenge for the NHS is to look beyond a person's date of birth and meet the needs of people as individuals."
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