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Written question asked by Baroness Greengross (Crossbench) on Tuesday, 2 December 2014, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 16 December 2014. It was answered by Earl Howe (Conservative) on Tuesday, 16 December 2014 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Mortality Rates

Question

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the indicators measuring under-75 mortality rates in (1) the NHS Outcomes Framework, and (2) the Clinical Commissioning Groups Outcomes Indicator Set, are compatible with the obligations against age discrimination under the Equality Act 2010.

Answer

One of the underpinning principles of the NHS Outcomes Framework is to ensure that it encourages the promotion of equality in line with the Equality Act 2010.

The Domain 1 premature mortality indicators in the NHS Outcomes Framework and Clinical Commissioning Groups Outcomes Indicator Set are capped at age 75 because the attribution of the cause of death is more vexed for older people, who often have co-morbidities. Therefore, including those aged 75 and above could lead these indicators to become misleading.

However, to ensure all age groups are covered equally, ‘Life Expectancy at 75’ is an overarching indicator in Domain 1 of the NHS Outcomes Framework. This indicator captures ages 75 and over and all conditions.

The above information is contained in the NHS Outcomes Framework 2011-12 Equalities Impact Assessment and the NHS Outcomes Framework 2011-12, both of which have already been placed in the Library.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL3377
Session
2014-15
Subjects
Age Discrimination NHS Standards Mortality rates
Legislation
Equality Act 2010
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk