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Older people's charities have attacked proposed guidance for the NHS that says age discrimination in deciding treatment could be justifiable in some cases.

The recommendation comes in a consultation document from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice), which produces guidance for the NHS on the use of drugs and treatments.

In proposed guidance on "social value judgements", Nice says it recommends that "where age is an indicator of benefit of risk, age discrimination is appropriate". Although it rejects age being used in any other way, its suggestion that it could be a determinant of treatment was attacked as deeply flawed.

Age Concern health policy adviser Philip Hurst said: "The assumption is that people of a certain age have the same characteristics. Age is a very poor indicator of likelihood of ability to benefit, or of harm. The logic would be that someone aged 64 would benefit from a treatment, and someone aged 65 would not."

Help the Aged health and social care policy manager Jonathan Ellis said: "The problem is that age is a very blunt instrument to use as a means of making decisions about scarce resources. At its best it is based on statistical averages, and at worst it is based on prejudice. We simply don't have reliable knowledge about what is best for older people.

He added: "It has got to come down to an individual decision by an individual doctor with an individual patient."
The consultation ends on 30 June.