Anaemia in older people — BGS Anaemia Special Interest Group
Lay summary
Anaemia (low blood-count, often involving iron deficiency) is common in older people — affecting around 10% of people over 65 and up to 30% over 85 — yet there is no NICE or SIGN national guideline covering its assessment and management in this age group. Untreated, anaemia in older adults is associated with frailty, falls, lower quality of life, and higher rates of hospital admission and readmission. Investigation pathways are scattered across haematology, gastroenterology, endocrinology and primary care, with no single referral route, and treatment thresholds differ by hospital.
In December 2017 Dr Wright wrote a sole-authored piece on the British Geriatrics Society blog arguing that the topic needed a national forum. Shortly after, the BGS Anaemia Special Interest Group was established; Dr Wright became one of its first co-chairs (2020–2021), and returned to the role in 2026 with a webinar series scheduled. The Group brings clinicians together to share emerging evidence, develop guidance, and run national educational meetings on anaemia in older people.
Related research she has supervised includes a 2020 quality-improvement abstract on improving anaemia investigation and treatment in older adults admitted via the Acute Medical Unit (Kaza et al., senior author Wright P, BGS Spring Conference 2020).
What it is
The BGS Anaemia Special Interest Group is the national professional forum for clinicians managing anaemia in older people. It runs educational meetings, develops guidance, and shares emerging evidence across centres. Founded in 2017 following Dr Wright's BGS blog calling for the SIG; she served as Co-Chair from 2020–2021 and returned to the role in 2026.
Why it matters
Without a national forum the clinical pathway for anaemia in older people fragments by hospital. The SIG aligns practice and gives the topic visible advocacy at BGS national level — historically under-served compared with cardiology or oncology pathways for the same patient group.