Elderly people are not receiving adequate medical treatment purely because they are deemed too old to benefit, claims a senior Bradford doctor.

Professor John Young, head of the academic unit of elderly care and rehabilitation at St Luke's Hospital, Bradford, believes decades of health service underfunding in England has provided an environment in which ageism has flourished.

Writing in the British Medical Journal, the stroke specialist's comments follow the publication of a study carried out by the Peter Rothwell, a Professor of Neurology at the Stroke Prevention Unit at Oxford's Radcliffe Infirmary, which found substantial undertreatment of stroke patients over the age of 80, despite evidence older patients benefit from treatment.

The study's authors concluded older patients were being discriminated against.

Professor Young said: "Whenever a clinical stone is turned over, ageism is revealed - for example in cancer service, coronary care units, prevention of vascular disease and in mental health services.

"To this list we must now add the management of transient ischaemic attacks (mini-strokes) and minor strokes."

Prof Young argues ageism in health services is a reflection of wider society.

"One manifestation of institutionalised ageism is overt and covert rationing of healthcare that discriminates against older people," he said. "This might be acceptable if the clinical outcomes of treating older people were inferior. However, the notion of age based rationing of treatment has become unsustainable and unethical as robust evidence has accumulated that show comparable outcomes for treatment of older and younger people."

Prof Young believes education is key along with redesigning stroke services to bring about a reduction in ageism.

He says some progress has been made through the National Service Framework for Older People since 2001 and, speaking to the Telegraph & Argus, Prof Young moved to reassure patients that strides taken locally had eliminated ageism from stroke and cardiovascular services.

"Patients get a good deal in Bradford where services have been picked out nationally from time to time as an exemplary service," he said.

A spokesman for the Department of Health said: "GPs and consultants are now far less likely to deny a person over 70 treatment because of their age."

e-mail: claire.lomax@bradford.newsquest.co.uk