Campaigners have issued a joint plea against using age as the main criteria for intensive care allocations as the UK prepares for a surge in covid-19 cases.

Age Scotland, Scottish Care and the older people’s commissioners in Wales and Northern Ireland have signed a joint letter calling for the protection of older people’s human rights during the coronavirus pandemic.

This comes in  response to reports that governments across the world are developing ethical guidelines and decision-making tools to help clinicians prioritise patients when it comes to admission to hospital and treatment.

‘As organisations and individuals dedicated to supporting older people and protecting their rights, we are joining together to say that if and when our own governments across the UK do similar work’, the signatories state, ‘It is vital that they all continue to uphold fundamental human rights principles.’

Earlier today, Scottish Care chief executive and one of the co-signatories of the statement , Dr Donald Macaskill, warned against going down what he called an “exceptionally dangerous road” where age is allowed to become the sole criteria for allocating limited critical care resources.

healthandcare.scot has been told by some health professionals that a policy to not admit anyone from a care home when the pandemic worsens is being considered. 

The statement continues: ‘Any suggestion that treatment decisions can be blanket ones, based on age alone or with a person’s age given undue weight as against other factors, such as their usual state of health and capacity to benefit from treatment, would be completely unacceptable.

‘For many years we have known that chronological age is a very poor proxy for an individual’s health status and resilience – something we all see among the older people in our lives.

“To ignore this and to revert to an approach based solely or mainly on age would be, by definition, ageist, discriminatory and morally wrong.

‘We strongly believe that decisions about treatment should always be made on a case by case basis through honest discussion between doctors, patients and their families that factor in the risks, benefits, and people's wishes.

‘There is no reason to abandon this long-established good practice now; in fact the current health emergency makes it more critical than ever that we keep it.’

As Scotland’s health service works to ensure at least 3,000 beds are made available for coronavirus patients within the existing NHS estate, guidance was published last week advising care homes they need to continue to take on residents during the pandemic, even if they already have more than one confirmed coronavirus case.

The statement concludes: ‘The fact that someone is in need of care and support, in a care home or their own home, should not be used as a proxy for their health status, nor blanket policies applied –  for example, over whether they should be admitted to hospital.

‘To make such decisions without considering either an older person’s needs or their capacity to benefit from hospital treatment would be discriminatory and unfair.’