Older coronavirus patients were denied intensive care treatment on the NHS during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, it has been claimed.
Those aged over 80, and some in younger groups such as the over 60s, were not given potentially life-saving treatment because health chiefs were concerned the NHS would be overrun, according to reports.
It is claimed documents called a 'triage tool', drawn up at the request of England's chief medical officer Chris Whitty, were used in preventing elderly Covid-19 patients from receiving ventilation in intensive care.
As part of an investigation, the Sunday Times says the tool was used to create a 'score' for patients based on their age, frailty, and illness. Under the original system, over 80s were automatically excluded from intensive care treatment due to their age. Even those in the over 60s who were considered frail and with pre-existing health conditions could have been over the intensive care threshold.
The tool was never formally published, nor was it official NHS policy. But the paper, which carries claims by doctors who say the tool was used in their hospitals, said the documents were widely circulated among health care professionals.
It also cites data, which shows the over 70s and 80s groups made up the smallest percentage of ICU patients, despite having the highest number of deaths.
However, NHS chiefs have today hit back at the reports, denying older patients were refused treatment. Officials say that while early work on an intensive care national 'triage tool' did take place, it was 'not completed' and never issued.
They also denied critical care units were ever at capacity - backed up by ministers spending £220million on seven Nightingale field hospitals that were barely used in the first wave. Meanwhile, NHS chiefs say that even at the height of the pandemic, only 42 per cent of NHS's ventilator beds were being used.
An NHS spokesperson added that two thirds of the 110,000 treated Covid-19 hospital patients so far were aged over 65.
JP said
Oct 25 3:50 PM, 2020
I think there's plenty of bureaucratic infighting among medics and others within the profession that goes on.
It's hard to know who to believe anymore. Almost every sod has ulterior agendas going on Political ones usually. Sometimes they don't hide it too well however. For example a Doctor appearing on Sky News talks very differently about the Government and coronavirus generally, than ones who appears on some radio stations.
Same with scientists in fact.
-- Edited by JP on Sunday 25th of October 2020 03:50:31 PM
Maddog said
Oct 25 4:11 PM, 2020
This sounds like whats happened to Nicko on NF. NHS seems to have written him off.
It's infuriating to me.
I'll bite my tongue for now in regards to my views on government provided healthcare.
Syl said
Oct 25 6:02 PM, 2020
I think it's an age lottery in many NHS hospitals...Coronavirus or not.
Anonymous said
Oct 25 6:21 PM, 2020
Perhaps another consideration might be the well-documented fact that if COVID doesn’t kill you, it could very likely continue to cause you long-term health issues post-COVID.
The knock-on effect of that, of course, is that ‘seniors’ might continue to require ongoing healthcare, which would exacerbate the strain on an already overstretched NHS.
I truly don’t envy the poor frontline doctors who are forced to play God, by having to decide who it’s viable to extend treatment to.
Digger said
Oct 25 7:25 PM, 2020
Seems to me that it's perfectly fine to keep old people well cared for, alive, medicated etc, so long as they're paying a grand a week and giving up their childrens' inheritance into the bargain. It's ok then to go that extra mile. If they can't bung them in a nursing home to fleece them, then let 'em die.
John Doe said
Oct 25 9:04 PM, 2020
Throughout Europe (and indeed the world) the elderly are revered for their wisdom and life experience but in the UK they are often seen as some sort of dirty secret to be hidden away and forgotten.
-- Edited by John Doe on Sunday 25th of October 2020 09:05:03 PM
Older coronavirus patients were denied intensive care treatment on the NHS during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, it has been claimed.
Those aged over 80, and some in younger groups such as the over 60s, were not given potentially life-saving treatment because health chiefs were concerned the NHS would be overrun, according to reports.
It is claimed documents called a 'triage tool', drawn up at the request of England's chief medical officer Chris Whitty, were used in preventing elderly Covid-19 patients from receiving ventilation in intensive care.
As part of an investigation, the Sunday Times says the tool was used to create a 'score' for patients based on their age, frailty, and illness. Under the original system, over 80s were automatically excluded from intensive care treatment due to their age. Even those in the over 60s who were considered frail and with pre-existing health conditions could have been over the intensive care threshold.
The tool was never formally published, nor was it official NHS policy. But the paper, which carries claims by doctors who say the tool was used in their hospitals, said the documents were widely circulated among health care professionals.
It also cites data, which shows the over 70s and 80s groups made up the smallest percentage of ICU patients, despite having the highest number of deaths.
However, NHS chiefs have today hit back at the reports, denying older patients were refused treatment. Officials say that while early work on an intensive care national 'triage tool' did take place, it was 'not completed' and never issued.
They also denied critical care units were ever at capacity - backed up by ministers spending £220million on seven Nightingale field hospitals that were barely used in the first wave. Meanwhile, NHS chiefs say that even at the height of the pandemic, only 42 per cent of NHS's ventilator beds were being used.
An NHS spokesperson added that two thirds of the 110,000 treated Covid-19 hospital patients so far were aged over 65.
I think there's plenty of bureaucratic infighting among medics and others within the profession that goes on.
It's hard to know who to believe anymore. Almost every sod has ulterior agendas going on Political ones usually. Sometimes they don't hide it too well however. For example a Doctor appearing on Sky News talks very differently about the Government and coronavirus generally, than ones who appears on some radio stations.
Same with scientists in fact.
-- Edited by JP on Sunday 25th of October 2020 03:50:31 PM
It's infuriating to me.
I'll bite my tongue for now in regards to my views on government provided healthcare.
Perhaps another consideration might be the well-documented fact that if COVID doesn’t kill you, it could very likely continue to cause you long-term health issues post-COVID.
The knock-on effect of that, of course, is that ‘seniors’ might continue to require ongoing healthcare, which would exacerbate the strain on an already overstretched NHS.
I truly don’t envy the poor frontline doctors who are forced to play God, by having to decide who it’s viable to extend treatment to.
Throughout Europe (and indeed the world) the elderly are revered for their wisdom and life experience but in the UK they are often seen as some sort of dirty secret to be hidden away and forgotten.
-- Edited by John Doe on Sunday 25th of October 2020 09:05:03 PM