OLDER patients who have surgery are not being screened to assess how frail they are in the majority of Britain's hospitals, a study suggests.

Frail people are more likely to stay longer in hospital after an operation and are at greater risk of complications, researchers warned.

Experts have called for all surgical patients over 60 to be screened for frailty as standard practice to bolster recovery and slash extended stays in hospitals.

Frailty is a medical condition that is common in older people, with symptoms such as reduced muscle strength, fatigue, slower walking pace, lower activity levels, weight loss and increased vulnerability.

Clinicians can assess how frail a patient is by using the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), which gives a score based on factors such as walking ability and managing daily tasks.

A score of more than five indicates the patient should be referred for specialist care.

The analysis, led by the Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) and the University of Nottingham and published in the British Journal of Anaesthesia, found 71 per cent of hospitals were not routinely screening surgical patients aged 60 and over for frailty.

RCoA president Dr Claire Shannon said: “With older people accounting for an increasing proportion of surgical patients, implementing effective screening for frailty is becoming ever more necessary.

“Universal adoption of frailty assessments will not only help patients recover better from surgery but also help improve efficiency by avoiding extended lengths of stay in hospital.”

An NHS spokesperson said: “Assessing frailty is essential in helping to get older patients as fit and well as possible before, during and after surgery and the NHS elective care plan reinforces this.”