Responding to the news that a survey from the British Medical Association that eight out of ten doctors believe that healthcare services for older people are not good enough, Charlotte Potter, Senior Health Policy Officer at Help the Aged comments:

"While this survey is deeply disappointing, these results will not come as a surprise to older NHS patients.

"The Department of Health has already acknowledged* that there are deep-rooted negative attitudes and behaviours towards older people and these are at the heart of failure to provide decent services for them.

"Ageism manifests itself in lack of appropriate funding and specialist services for older people, which results in many services failing to meet their needs and provide adequate quality of health care.

"The Help the Aged 'Just Equal Treatment' campaign has highlighted the rampant age discrimination faced by older people, and called for a complete ban on age discrimination and a new duty on public bodies to promote age equality, as part of the Equality Bill which was promised in Labour's last election manifesto. The campaign has cited examples of age discrimination in all areas of everyday life - from hospital to the high street - and has recently published a selection of personal stories from older people affected by age discrimination, including some for whom ageist assumptions and practices nearly meant the difference between life and death."

*Department of Health, "A new ambition for old age" (2006).

1. Help the Aged is the charity fighting to free disadvantaged older people in the UK and overseas from poverty, isolation, neglect and ageism. It campaigns to raise public awareness of the issues affecting older people and to bring about policy change. The Charity delivers a range of services: information and advice, home support and community living, including international development work. These are supported by its paid-for services and fundraising activities - which aim to increase funding in the future to respond to the growing unmet needs of disadvantaged older people. Help the Aged also funds vital research into the health issues and experiences of older people to improve the quality of later life.

2. Help the Aged urgently needs donations and support to help it in the increasingly challenging fight to free disadvantaged older people from poverty, isolation and neglect. Visit helptheaged or call 0207 239 1982.

Help the Aged