Charity warns older drinkers without smartphones are at risk of discrimination

Age UK has warned older drinkers are at risk of discrimination in pubs because 70 per cent do not have a smartphone to order food and drinks, report states.

As lockdown restrictions eased in England on 12 April, many pubs and restaurants have turned to smartphone apps to allow customers to order without leaving their tables and help staff maintain social distancing.

But some venues have made ordering via app mandatory and have refused to serve customers who do not have a smartphone.

In a report published last month, Age UK found 70 per cent of over-75s and 50 per cent of those aged 65 to 74 admitted to not owning a smartphone.

’I thought it was really ageist’

David Walters, 78, was refused service at The Angel at Corbridge, Northumberland. Staff told him he would have to use an app to order and submit their contact details to NHS Test and Trace.

Mr Walters who lost his wife two years ago told the Telegraph: “I'm all alone now. It's been bad enough being put out to grass, and I've not seen anybody for months because I'm not allowed to because I'm considered to be extremely vulnerable.

“I just thought it was terrible. Older people like me don't have this computer knowledge because we weren’t brought up with computers.

“I thought it was really ageist, because they should know that people of my age can't use this sophisticated equipment.”

The government website states ‘venues in hospitality, the tourism and leisure industry, close contact services, community centres and village halls must:

• ask every customer or visitor (over the age of 16) to provide their name and contact details (this can be in paper form)

• keep a record of all staff working on their premises and shift times on a given day and their contact details

• keep these records of customers, visitors and staff for 21 days and provide data to NHS Test and Trace if requested

• display an official NHS QR code poster so that customers and visitors can ‘check in’ using the NHS COVID-19 app as an alternative to providing their contact details

• adhere to General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)

Kevin Laing, who runs the Angel at Corbridge, said “[we were] just doing the best we could at the time, and following the advice and guidelines to try and keep guests and staff safe.”

“I'm not discriminating against elderly people or young people, it just seems that if people haven't got a smartphone then it doesn't suit them,” he said.

This reduces 'opportunities for some older people to enjoy socialising once again'

Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: "As we start to emerge from the pandemic it seems that many pubs and restaurants are requiring customers to pre-order using a smartphone, which automatically rules out about half of those aged 65 to 74 and 70 per cent of the over-75s because they do not use one.

“This risks widening the digital divide and reducing the opportunities for some older people to enjoy socialising once again.

“We fully understand the need for venues to pay attention to infection control but it would be helpful to their bottom lines, as well as to older people if they ensure that smartphone use is not a precondition for buying a drink or a meal."

To read about government guidelines supporting NHS Track and Trace, go to https://www.gov.uk/guidance/maintaining-records-of-staff-customers-and-visitors-to-support-nhs-test-and-trace