A survey taken by the British Geriatric Society recently found that more than half of the 200 doctors who took part would be worried about how the NHS would treat them when they reach old age.

These findings have caused much concern with the UK government who assure age discrimination legislation will feature heavily in the forthcoming Equality Bill.

Kate Jopling, Head of public affairs for charity, Help the Aged, says that it could be more than 12 months before we see any changes to the way pensioners are being treated in British hospitals. ?Older people have a right to fair health care, free from ageist prejudice."

Some of the main complaints from elderly citizens are:

• Long waits for hip and knee operations
• Breast screening is free for women over 50 but those over 70 are not automatically invited
• Older women who have breast cancer are less likely to be diagnosed by needle biopsy or to receive radiotherapy and surgery

Deputy policy director of the NHS Confederation, Jo Webber says: "There?s still a lot more we can do to better the situation and things are already being done without the support of legislation?.

The issue is essentially based on the practicalities of implementation. Doctors and nurses across all fields of the NHS need to work together in order to provide services that cater for the needs of all senior patients.

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"The service needs to ensure that elderly patients and their carers are involved in all decisions about their care and that the care given is personally appropriate, of high quality and responsive to individual need regardless of age". adds Webber.

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