NHS England has launched a major ‘Frailty Focus2’ campaign and video containing advice and tips on how to deal with the condition.

We all have our own perceptions when it comes to frailty, making it a widely misunderstood topic. In reality, it is a condition that means that people living with frailty can’t bounce back quickly after unexpected events such as an illness, an accident or other stressful event, putting them at risk of losing their independence and unplanned hospital admission.

Surprisingly, frailty is not just seen in older people, people at a much earlier point in their adult life can also experience it. To address these common misconceptions surrounding frailty, the campaign was launched on January 8 in north Hampshire.

No matter who or where you are, the NHS is urging people to get on board with the Frailty Focus2 campaign, by watching the campaign video and visiting the Frailty Focus website at focus-aha.eu or tweeting #FrailtyFocus.

An NHS spokesman said: “With the population set to increase both in size and age over the coming years, the numbers of people recognised to be living with frailty are also expected to escalate. Therefore, the campaign also aims to promote active and healthy ageing to help ensure we continue to meet the expected health and social care needs on an ageing population in north Hampshire.”

Professor Martin Vernon, national clinical director for older people and person-centred integrated care at NHS England, said: “Active and healthy ageing is important for everyone. Focusing on frailty now creates a golden opportunity to enable more of us to age well while planning ahead, discussing what matters most and ensuring we get the right care and support both now and into the future.”

Frailty Focus will help some of north Hampshire’s most vulnerable people, including those already living with frailty, people at risk of becoming frail, and their family and friends. By raising awareness of the symptoms of frailty, and how it can be avoided or made better, the campaign will help people to make informed decisions about their healthcare, as well as how to take better care of their own physical and mental health. In turn, this may help to prevent unplanned hospital admissions due to illness or injury that could have been avoided.

We may all be at risk of developing frailty at some point in our lives, irrespective of background, gender or ethnicity. By following the Frailty Focus advice, you can tackle frailty head on:

* Forward thinking – with some forward thinking many of the challenges that frailty brings can be managed, or even avoided;

* Resilient – with the right support you can be more resilient to the challenges that later life can bring;

* Active – remaining active and engaged with life is key;

* Later life – if you take action now and arm yourself with the information you need there’s no need to worry about the future.

Everyone in North Hampshire is invited to watch the video and learn some new ways to face up to frailty.

Dr Nicola Decker, a GP and clinical chairman at the North Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “Frailty is more common than we realise. This campaign brings people together in a positive way, so that people affected by frailty can have confidence that there is hope and support for them and their families. Working together they can, and should, stay in charge of their lives and their choices.”