Older people as health service consumers 3: obstacles to access in the village

Faster access to hospital services, swift advice and treatment in GP surgeries and quicker access to information at home are among the improvements brought about as a result of recent Government policies in England. These developments have increased the infrastructure, such as walk-in clinics and extended surgery hours, but the responsibility lies with the patient to present themselves. Although older people use NHS services proportionately more than other age groups, they also tend to normalize disease symptoms, attributing them to ageing (Tod et al, 200a). This article, the third in a series which addresses older people's beliefs and behaviour in relation to health care, discusses the factors which influence the accessing of health services within an older, white village community in South England.