Gill Turner

Frailty means patients with what appear to be straightforward symptoms may be masking a more serious underlying problem. How to recognise frailty in a routine situation, emergency situation, or in an outpatient surgical setting, including a range of established tests you can use. 

Focusing community services on those with frailty can improve quality of care and reduce hospital bed usage. This guide provides advice on the commissioning and management of services for people living with frailty and includes the downloadable report Fit for Frailty Part 2.

Once you've identified that an older person has frailty, what steps you can take to undertake a holistic review, or Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment, in order to manage frailty. And can frailty be reversed?

What is frailty and why should you look for it in the older patient?  We outline the causes and possible ways to prevent frailty, as well as asking if there is any value in screening for frailty on a population or practice-wide basis.

Fit for Frailty Part 1