Frailty index.

I hadn't heard of it either and can only assume it was done automatically on the basis of your 'long-term condition'.

Having looked at the index, I can see that several people that I know, including my DH, would fall somewhere in at least the mild category based on long-term conditions which don't actually affect their day to day lives. None of them need help washing and dressing and are often engaged in strenuous physical activities.

I note on the index that there's a provision for 'nurse led assessment'. Perhaps that will follow, or you can request it, and your score will be reassessed.

One of these things that's full of good intentions but is too generalised and needs careful application.

Just because we age doesn't mean to say that we all naturally become frail as well. A person can become frail in their 20's due to lifestyle issues, poor diet etc.
If we're determined not to become a " statistic " then chances are we won't be so the idea is to adopt the mindset that age is but a number and to continue as you once did albeit a bit slower but so what ?
Some of these figures and autosuggestions would have us all dead and buried before our time.

Our local hospital management plans to introduce a Frailty Service. To qualify a patient needs to be over 65. Comments about the ridiculous nature of this one size fits all approach are falling on deaf ears. Interestingly clinicians aren’t happy with it either .

Yes, Shysal - I did exactly the same, checked my blood test results on-line and found I too had been given a 'Frailty Index' totally at odds with my very active lifestyle. I was furious, but didn't bother challenging it as I assumed it was more bureaucratic nonsense. I will raise it next time I see my GP though.

Trouble is we are all heading towards ‘adverse outcome’! When is it okay to die these days?

If you are on more than 3/4 long term meds that will boost your frailty ratings up quite a bit. As will any long term conditions even if well controlled.

Having looked at the index, I can see that several people that I know, including my DH, would fall somewhere in at least the mild category based on long-term conditions which don't actually affect their day to day lives. None of them need help washing and dressing and are often engaged in strenuous physical activities.

But they do actually affect peoples recovery if they come down with an actute illness like a serious infection or need an operation.

That is where frailty clicks in, to make sure that the treatment and recovery instructions from the acute illness/op are not at odds with the management for the long term conditions, so that people get home sooner with their long term condition managements restarted so that they can get back to it not affecting their day to day lives.

Before frailty being alerted people with longer term conditions often had delayed discharges from hospitals after ops or illness because their long term meds etc were faffed around with and then longer hospital stays meant more complications and less chance to get back to baseline levels of activity.

It does not mean you're seen as "old and dotty"

It means that your long term conditions dont get put on the back burner whilst serious/acute issues are dealt with, so that you recover better. Its a good service.