NHS doctors treating coronavirus patients will "score" those aged over 65 to decide whether they are suitable for intensive care under new guidelines, it has been claimed.
Older patients who test positive for Covid-19 will reportedly be ranked out of 10 - based on their age, frailty and underlying conditions.
The new “clinical frailty scale” has been put in place to identify “who may not benefit from critical care interventions”, it was reported.
Any patient aged 71-75 will automatically score four points for their age and a likely three for their frailty, taking their total to seven, according to a document.
Patients with conditions such as dementia, high blood pressure or recent heart and lung disease will be given more points.
According to the new system, those who score over eight points should probably not be admitted to intensive care, the Financial Times reported.
Instead, they should be given “ward-based care” and a trial of non-invasive ventilation - but "clinical discretion could override that decision."
A frontline NHS consultant said: “The scoring system is just a guide.
"We make the judgment taking into account a lot of information about the current ‘nick’ of the patient — oxygenation, kidney function, heart rate, blood pressure — which all adds into the decision-making.
"If this was a bacterial pneumonia or a bad asthma attack, then that is treatable and you might send that older patient to intensive care.”
However, a spokesperson for the NHS said: "This is not an NHS approved document, we do not agree with it, and the NHS will not endorse its use in decisions on care."
The Times claimed the scale has not yet been validated for use with people under 65 or those with learning disabilities.
It comes after last week NHS England contacted GPs asking them to contact vulnerable patients to ensure that plans for end-of-life decisions were in place.
Due to social distancing rules, many of these difficult conversations had to take place over the phone or Skype.
Ruthe Isden, head of health and care at Age UK, said some elderly patients have felt unsettled and pressured to sign “Do not resuscitate” forms.
She said: “Clinicians are trying to do the right thing and these are very important conversations to have, but there’s no justification in doing them in a blanket way.
"It is such a personal conversation and it’s being approached in a very impersonal way.”
Some intensive care wards are now approaching capacity - with about 5,000 Covid-19 cases presenting every day.
