Website of the Department of Health

Research on eliminating age discrimination in social services and mental health services

The Department commissioned two literature reviews and two research studies on the costs and benefits of eliminating age discrimination in the provision of health and social care. This was to inform decisions on whether to pursue legislation to outlaw discrimination in the provision of health and social services.

Reports of these reviews and studies have now been made publicly available (or will shortly be publicly available) on the websites of the institutions concerned. Electronic links to the reports are below.

Responsibility for these reports rests with their authors. Any views expressed about policy issues relating to age discrimination should not be ascribed to the Department.

The research reports set out a range of caveats and limitations, which need to be fully recognised. The estimated costs of eliminating age discrimination in social services and mental health services should be regarded as indicative of the potential costs rather than a precise, definitive estimate.

• A literature review of the likely costs and benefits of legislation to prohibit age discrimination in health, social care and mental health services and definitions of age discrimination that might be operationalised for measurement (Centre for Policy on Ageing) (opens new window)
• Cost-effectiveness analysis and ageism: a review of the theoretical literature (University of Leeds,Leeds Institute of Health Services) - in Portable Document Format (opens new window)
• Age discrimination in mental health services: London School of Economics (Personal Social Services Research Unit), University of Wales, Swansea (Centre for Social Carework Research) and King’s College London (Centre for the Economics of Mental Health) - in Portable Document Format (opens new window)
• The costs of addressing age discrimination in social care (University of Kent, Personal Social Services Research Unit): - in Portable Document Format (opens new window)