Background

Frailty is a priority for the NHS long-term plan but our knowledge of the characteristics and needs of the frail older population is incomplete.

This project used existing data to correct this by examining the distribution of frailty, identifying areas of unmet need, and exploring the relationship between frailty and poor health outcomes.

An understanding of the drivers of frailty will help inform equitable health policymaking, guide preventative policies and promote healthy ageing.

Aims and objectives

• Quantify the distribution of frailty in England, adding to our knowledge of frailty nationally, identifying areas of high need and producing heat maps for policymakers;
• Assess the relationship between frailty and receipt of paid-for and not paid-for care;
• Map areas where levels of frailty are high, but receipt of care is low;
• Link together area level (rurality and deprivation) and individual factors with levels of frailty;
• Conceptualise resilience in later life by identifying attenuation of frailty states over time, and how they relate to individual and area level assets.

Resources and further information

• Final Report: Using individual and neighbourhood profiles and trends to understand frailty with nationally representative population data, Part 1: Frailty among older adults and its distribution in England (February 2020) –  Executive Summary, Full Report (PDF)
• Final Report: Using individual and neighbourhood profiles and trends to understand frailty with nationally representative population data, Part 2: Frailty and receipt for care in England (June 2020) – Executive Summary, Briefing Report, Full Report (PDF)
• Final Report: Using individual and neighbourhood profiles and trends to understand frailty with nationally representative population data, Part 3: Linking area level (rurality and deprivation) and individual factors/assets with levels of frailty (November 2021) – Executive Summary, Briefing Report, Full Report (PDF)
• Final Report: Using individual and neighbourhood profiles and trends to understand frailty with nationally representative population data, Part 4: The effect of mapped mismatch between levels of frailty and receipt of care on unplanned admission, admission due to falls, pressure ulcer, and fractures (June 2023) – Executive Summary, Briefing Report, Full Report (PDF)
• Final Report: Using individual and neighbourhood profiles and trends to understand frailty with nationally representative population data, Part 5: Care receipt, unmet need for care and frailty: a longitudinal analysis with multistate models (August 2023) – Executive Summary (PDF)
• Webinar recording: Frailty, receipt of care and hospital admissions due to falls and fractures (YouTube).
• Publication: Household wealth, neighbourhood deprivation and frailty amongst middle-aged and older adults in England: a longitudinal analysis over 15 years (2002–2017) (Age and Ageing).
• Publication: Frailty among Older Adults and Its Distribution in England (The Journal of Frailty & Aging).
• Publication: Can vaccination roll-out be more equitable if population risk is taken into account? (PLOS ONE)
• Publication: The association between frailty, care receipt and unmet need for care with the risk of hospital admissions (PLOS ONE)

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