GPs in England too ‘overloaded’ to help older people at risk of falling, say MPs
MPs say English GPs are too overloaded to properly assess older patients at risk of falls, despite contract duties to do so.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
A cross-party committee says NHS England has loaded too many priorities onto GPs, leaving frailty and falls care badly underdone. It cites low assessment rates and says the current position is unacceptable for older patients.
It is like a school where the nurse is so busy checking attendance that kids who might fall over never get looked at properly. MPs say England’s family doctors are too swamped to spot and help many older people who need fall checks.
Analysis
What MPs found
The House of Commons public accounts committee says GPs in England are so stretched that they cannot properly help older people who are at risk of falling. The report says NHS England has pushed general practice toward improving access and digital access, but that this has had knock-on effects elsewhere in care.
The issue matters because falls are described as the most common cause of death from injury among people over 65. They also drive tens of thousands of hip fractures, add to hospital workloads, and cost the UK an estimated £4.4bn a year.
How far off target care is
Under their contract, family doctors are supposed to identify, assess, and support people over 65 with moderate or severe frailty. The committee says many practices cannot meet those requirements. In 2024/25, only 17% of such patients were assessed. Among the 226,000 people diagnosed with severe frailty, only 18% were checked for fall risk and only 16% got a medication review.
The report also says performance is patchy. Almost one in three local NHS areas assessed fewer than 10% of over-65s for frailty and falls risk, while nine other areas assessed at least 90%, which the MPs say shows better performance is possible within existing resources.
What NHS England may do next
NHS England is looking at whether other professionals can take on some of the work that is often missed. One idea is to ask pharmacists to review medicines for frail older people, since taking several drugs at once can increase fall risk.
The Royal College of GPs and Age UK both argue that older people with frailty are being let down. The article says NHS bosses told the committee the current position was not acceptable.
Key points
- MPs say English GPs are too overloaded to meet their duties to assess older patients at risk of falling.
- In 2024/25, only 17% of patients with moderate or severe frailty were assessed.
- Among 226,000 people with severe frailty, just 18% had a fall-risk check and 16% had a medication review.
- The committee says NHS England has prioritised access and digital access, with consequences for frailty care.
- NHS England is considering whether pharmacists or other professionals could take on some of the missed work.
If NHS England shifts some frailty work to other health professionals, such as pharmacists, more older patients could get medication reviews and fall checks. That could make care more manageable for practices and catch problems earlier.
If GPs stay overloaded and the focus on access continues to crowd out proactive care, many frail older people may keep missing assessments. That raises the risk of falls, hip fractures, hospital admissions, and faster decline.
