Frailty triage in the wake of Covid-19: a hope on the horizon

The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has transformed the NHS in the UK with increased intensive care unit and respiratory bed capacity in acute hospitals, reduced elective work and many outpatient consultations delivered remotely. The threat from Covid-19 infection and national policies on social distancing meant risks posed to the NHS and the population were outweighed by the benefits of maintaining outpatient appointments. It has been shown that the pandemic initially reduced emergency department attendances to a third of total attendances in patients without coronavirus symptoms.1 A reduction in older people attending hospital was attributed to the policy of shielding because of their