GPs are failing to provide adequate support for people living with frailty, an independent watchdog has found.
Frailty is a syndrome related to ageing and in which body systems gradually lose their in-built reserves. Symptoms include exhaustion and people living with frailty are more likely to be housebound.
GPs are required to identify any registered patient aged 65 or over who is living with frailty, but only one in six were assessed for the condition in 2024/25, according to a National Audit Office (NAO) report. One in four were assessed in 2017/18.
GPs have said the failures are partly the result of their increasing workload and a shrinking workforce.
The report also found that of the 226,000 patients diagnosed with frailty in 2024/25, only 18% had been assessed for fall risk and just 16% had had a medical review.
The head of the NAO, Gareth Davies, said it was “crucial that people with frailty are supported effectively and consistently across the country”.
“Our report shows that many older people are not getting the support they need,” he said. “The NHS needs to seize the opportunity of the 10-year health plan to build a more effective and sustainable service that recognises what older people need.”
The chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, Prof Victoria Tzortziou Brown, said that although the findings of the report must be taken seriously, the “reality is that GPs and our teams are working under intense and increasing pressures”.
“A fully qualified, full-time GP in England is now responsible for approximately 2,241 patients on average, an increase of 304 patients, or 15.7%, per GP in 10 years. This is having a serious impact on the time we can spend with our patients and on delivering proactive care,” she said.
“GPs want to do more for their frail patients, but without sufficient workforce and investment, the most time-intensive aspects of care – continuity, comprehensive assessments and regular follow-up – are becoming harder to sustain.”
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The NAO report also found a “worrying inconsistency” in delivery of the required support and follow-up for those diagnosed as living with severe frailty, as well as a significant variation in the proportion of patients who were assessed for frailty across the country.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We inherited a situation where too many elderly people had been failed by the health and care system but are working at pace to ensure older people can live well for longer with the care and support they need.”
