Background
NHS England (NHSE) describes a person with frailty as someone who is at high risk of adverse outcomes such as falls, immobility, delirium, incontinence, and side effects of medication. They are also at high risk of admission to hospital or the need for long-term care. Frailty is increasingly common – more than one in ten people over the age of 65 and up to half the population aged over 85 live with frailty. There are also marked variations in the prevalence of frailty across the country and between different socio-economic groups.
In 2019, researchers estimated that frailty cost the UK healthcare system around £5.8 billion per year. When people with frailty need an emergency admission to hospital, the cost of treating them is far higher than for people who do not live with frailty.
Currently, the Department of Health & Social Care sets healthcare policy for identifying and managing frailty in the healthcare system. NHSE is responsible for commissioning primary care services which play a key role in identifying and supporting frail people in the community. Local NHS systems have overall responsibility for implementing local plans working with partners including primary care networks (PCNs) and GPs.
Scope
The study will examine how effectively government is tackling the challenges of growing numbers of people with frailty. It will look at:
- whether the government has a clear strategy for managing and slowing the onset or progression of frailty in people
- how effectively primary care, detects people with, or who are at risk of, frailty
- once frailty (or the risk of frailty) is identified, how effective primary care and community services are at slowing the onset or progression of frailty
NAO team
Director: Ashley McDougall
Audit Manager: Marisa Chambers