![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/2023-sir-chris-whitty-uk-826765777.jpg\")
<\/p>\nBOOSTING OAPs\u2019 health should be an \u201cabsolute priority\u201d, Sir Chris Whitty has said in his yearly report. <\/p>\n
England\u2019s chief medical officer said the NHS is not good enough for elderly Brits and too many are suffering as they age.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
There are 14.5million over-60s in England and Wales \u2013 a quarter of the population \u2013 and the number is increasing as people live longer.<\/p>\n
He said doctors should get better training to treat old people, small towns and villages made more accessible and families should make plans for relatives\u2019 dying wishes.<\/p>\n
It comes as a National Audit Office report warned ministers\u2019 plans to fix social care are behind schedule and will need \u201csignificant work\u201d to achieve meaningful change by 2025.<\/p>\n
Sir Chris added that all ages must be encouraged to commit to \u201cold fashioned\u201d exercise and healthy eating to stave off disease.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cThere were really very few elderly people when the NHS was formed and now a significant proportion of the population are elderly and that is set to increase.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs you get older you get sicker \u2013 that\u2019s just a biological reality.<\/p>\n
\u201cOlder people can and should be better served and we can make very significant progress with relatively straightforward interventions.\u201d<\/p>\n
His report said NHS services and walking and cycling paths should be improved in rural areas, where most older people live.<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Houses should be built with key facilities on the ground floor so people can easily live on one level as they get older, he suggested.<\/p>\n And he said doctors should avoid overloading patients with medications and families should be encourage to plan for death so it is clear what people\u2019s wishes are when they near the end.<\/p>\n He added that the government and NHS must make it easier for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy, get a handle on obesity and squash smoking rates.<\/p>\n Sir Chris added: \u201cThere are lots of things people can do themselves which will delay the point where they first have disability and they are old fashioned things actually.<\/p>\n \u201cLots of exercise, mental stimulation and a social network, eating a reasonably balanced diet and stopping smoking if you do.<\/p>\n \u201cMost people do know this but they often underestimate how big the health effects might be.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to make it easier for people to make choices they probably want to make but find difficult.<\/p>\n \u201cA happy side effect of this would be to help reduce pressure on the NHS and allow it more time to do other things.\u201d<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Aaaron-James-comp.jpg\")
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