As the UK anti-discrimination legislation has been developed over a period of 40 years, it is inconsistent and piecemeal. The Discrimination Law Review was convened in order to consider the relevant legislation and consider where it requires modification. There is currently no protection from age discrimination in the provision of goods, facilities and services by the NHS. These proposals may ban discrimination in the provision of goods, facilities and services. This may have implications for the NHS in the way that alternative
treatments are evaluated. An age duty that imposes broad restrictions could preclude age-based rationing, whether this is framed as the availability of treatments within a specified age band (direct discrimination) or provisions which have the effect of restricting access to those in specific age groups (indirect discrimination). A precise definition of direct and indirect discrimination and the circumstances under which they would be deemed illegal would begiven in legislation.