Care of elderly patients with a fractured neck of femur.

This survey was designed to compare the clinical management of elderly patients admitted to hospitals with a hip fracture, with the recommendations in the recent Royal College of Physicians report "Fractured Neck of Femur". The results highlight large discrepancies between the 'ideal' clinical management as recommended, and that which occurs in practice. Particular concerns include the lack of experienced medical supervision provided for patients perioperatively, the high proportion of junior anaesthetic and surgical staff performing the operation, and the widespread poor rehabilitation facilities. These findings suggest that, unless the quality of clinical care for such patients is vastly improved, the predicted exponential rise in the number of elderly people sustaining a hip fracture will create a heavy burden on scarce National Health Service resources.