For many years, Help the Aged has been campaigning against age discrimination. Our first major victory was securing a ban on ageism in the workplace and in vocational training. The legislation came into force in October 2006 and, although marred by the continued practice of mandatory retirement over the age of 65, it was the start of the onslaught on society's negative attitudes towards older people.

At times, the discussions about this new Equality Bill have been deeply depressing. It is worrying that so many years after we started on the road towards race and gender equality, some people still need to be convinced that empowering individuals to take a full and fair part in our society is a goal worth striving for. It is also shameful that the enormous contribution of older people goes unrecognised.

Thankfully, things seem now to be moving in the right direction.

The proposals announced by the Government include making age discrimination illegal in the provision of goods, facilities and services and extending the public sector equality duty – which currently requires local authorities to promote equality between people of different race, gender and disability status – to include age so that older people's needs are taken into account in public services.

But while the Government is now talking the talk on age equality, we still have no clear timetable for when it will start walking the walk. The Government has talked about a "phased implementation" of legislation on goods, facilities and services, but this change cannot come soon enough.

For years, older people have been treated as second-class citizens, and we need to send out a very clear signal that this is unacceptable. Only legislation can do this.

Legislation would send out a message to those who would discriminate and to older people themselves that they can expect better. But it will also mean that older people's health and well-being won't be affected because doctors see only their age and not their symptoms; and it could end the practice of refusing older people quotes on insurance – a situation which equates to a high street with more than half the shops displaying "no older people" signs.

Help the Aged's "Just Equal Treatment" campaign has gathered some shocking examples of discrimination. One woman had been visiting her GP for years and complaining of back pain, only to be told that it was "old age". When she moved to another area, her new GP sent her for a scan and discovered a tumour the size of a football in her back which could have killed her.

As people get older, sadly our ageist society shows its true colours. The Department of Health has acknowledged that there are deep-rooted negative attitudes and behaviours towards older people and these are at the heart of the failure to provide decent services for them.

Legislation would not require every older person to be given operations or treatment regardless of their health or ability to benefit, but it would require physicians to make their assessment based on the individual's clinical need and medical status. Frailty may reduce someone's ability to benefit from treatment, but age never does.

In financial services, legislation would address unfairness in the market by requiring that premiums are based on good evidence of risk.

No-one is suggesting that we become "age blind" in our insurance provision, but simply that older people are given fair access to the market and that we ensure that premiums, where they differ by age, do so on the basis of good actuarial evidence – not arbitrary assumptions about what older people are like.

Help the Aged is convinced that simple, pragmatic legislation could be introduced without delay. We have worked hard to identify those areas where exceptions would be needed (for example, to protect concessions such as bus passes) and know that legislation can be done. We will be working hard in the coming weeks and months to turn what is a very welcome commitment into a firm timetable for action.

So, this is a historic time in the march towards age equality, a march which has, at times, seemed to be heading uphill, slowly. It has taken years of campaigning and lobbying to convince the Government that ageism is an issue that blights the lives of older people and should be illegal.

And there is more to be done. But with an ageing population and so many hugely talented, vibrant, and increasingly wealthy and able older people, we must all recognise the opportunity that breaking down the barriers of age discrimination presents for our futures.


Kate Jopling is head of public affairs at Help the Aged. Information on the Help the Aged "Just Equal Treatment" campaign is available at www.helptheaged.org.uk/campaigns