Select committee: Science and Technology Committee

Recommendation 36

1st Report - Ageing: Science, Technology and Healthy Living Published 15 Jan 2021 Paragraph 275
Recommendation (the committee's words)
We recommend that the Government clearly defines the roles and responsibilities for healthy ageing among national and local government and their agencies. The creation of the National Institute for Health Protection should be used as an opportunity to revitalise work to promote healthy ageing across the life-course, including by improving coordination across the sector and drawing on the best information for developing public health advice.

From: Science and Technology Committee, 1st Report - Ageing: Science, Technology and Healthy Living, paragraph 275, 15 January 2021

Government response

The government responded to the whole report on 15 March 2021 (deadline 15 March 2021).

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The government says it is determined to tackle health inequalities and is already acting, states that some recommendations are already implemented, does not support making Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment a core part of medical training, and will review the 2017 Grand Challenges and missions.

  • On a designated clinician for older patients, the government says the recommendation "has already been implemented", citing the requirement that patients aged 75 and over be assigned an accountable GP.
  • It states "We do not support" making the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment a core part of medical training, saying it "would not be appropriate" for all specialties as the assessment is not relevant to them.
  • On health inequalities, it says it will come forward with proposals in response to the Prevention Green Paper "in due course", which will form elements of plans to reduce inequalities over the next Parliament.
  • On the Ageing Society Grand Challenge, it says it will review the 2017 Grand Challenges and missions as part of work on a new Innovation Strategy, to be developed "in the coming months".

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error