Geriatric Medicine

- section of UEMS



Delegates:

Michael Vassallo
michael.vassallo@uhd.nhs.uk

Iain Wilkinson
iainwilkinson1@nhs.net

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Geriatrics in United Kingdom

Do geriatric co-management programs exist in non-geriatric units:
Yes orthogeriatric is an established area of expertise, onco geriatrics and POPS are expanding areas.
Total population >65 Years old (in absolute numbers): :
12.5 million
Population aged 65+ (or 60+) (in %):: :
18.3%
Population aged 75+ (in %)::
5.5 million (8.2%)
Population aged 80+ (in %):  :
3.4 million (5.0%)
Gender distribution in the older population (60+) :
Total 16.4 million (Women: ~8.8 million (about 54%) Men: ~7.6 million (about 46%)
Most frequent Diagnosis-related groupsin older adults:
Hypertension (58%)
Mortality and morbidity information:
Leading Causes of Death in UK Older Adults 75+ (Estimated % of Total Deaths) Dementia & Alzheimer’s disease (~25%), Ischaemic heart disease (~13%) Cerebrovascular diseases (e.g., stroke) (~7%) Chronic lower respiratory diseases (~6%) Cancer (all types) (~5–7%) Influenza and pneumonia (~5%) Diabetes-related complications (~3%)
National geriatrics society/association name:
British Geriatrics Society
Contact details (email, phone number) :
+44 (0)20 7608 8575
Website - URL :
https://www.bgs.org.uk
Total number of certified geriatricians in the country :
2328 (2022 Royal College of Physicians Census)
Is Geriatrics a recognized specialty? (Yes/No) :
Yes
Duration of postgraduate training in geriatric medicine (years): :
7 years
Criteria to be admitted in geriatric medicine residency training:
https://www.thefederation.uk/training/specialties/geriatric-medicine
Any ongoing programs to train more geriatricians? (Yes/No):
yes
Criteria for a patient be treated by a geriatrician :
Mostly needs based but some hospitals adopt an age cut-off that can vary from 65-85 years
Number of hospitals with dedicated geriatric units:
As of 2023, there were approximately 180 hospitals in the UK with Type 1 Emergency Departments (EDs) almost all would have Geriatric Medicine services
Kind of units present in hospitals involved in geriatric care:
Acute, long term, rehabilitation
Do geriatric co-management programs exist in non-geriatric units:
Yes orthogeriatric is an established area of expertise, onco geriatrics and POPS are expanding areas.
Major challenges :
work force recruitment nationally and in certain areas
Initiatives or solutions being implemented to address these :
improving community care
Are there regional disparities in geriatric care?:
yes
Which regions have the best/worst access to geriatric services? :
Number of long-term care facilities:
Approx 21700 care homes in UK
Are there co-management programs in these:
variable
Name of Universities Offering Geriatric Medicine:
Geriatric medicine is part of undergraduate training?:
Is there a postgraduate curriculum specific to geriatrics?:
Yes
How many candidates are enrolled into geriatric:
approximately 120 /year
Name of UEMS board membersandcontacts per country:
Prof Michael Vassallo and Dr Iain Wilkinson
Additional comments or important information