Ageing population is not a drain on economy or NHS, says report

Rising numbers of older people should not be blamed for economic problems or for increasing pressure on the NHS, says a report. The effects of population ageing on the health sector are limited because older people are staying fitter, and this group is likely to contribute a substantial proportion to the UK economy provided that they are well looked after, it concludes.

The report, from the School of Pharmacy at University College London, says that when the NHS was established in 1948 there were only 200 000 people in the United Kingdom aged …