Disabled patients dying due to 'institutional discrimination' in NHS He said the cases in this report were liekly to be just the tip of the iceberg. Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, the NHS's medical director, said: "One of the measures of a civilised society is how well it looks after the most vulnerable members of its society. So I take very seriously any evidence that this is not reflected in our NHS. I look forward to seeing the Mencap report. The report came as David Cameron was warned that hundreds of thousands of elderly people are being robbed of their dignity by England's failing social care services and left at risk of "terrible abuse and neglect." An unprecedented coalition of more than 60 government advisers, charity directors and independent experts is demanding "urgent" and "fundamental" reform to care and home help services in England. Thousands are forced to sell their homes and use up their savings to pay rising care bills each year, while businesses are losing experienced staff who are forced to quit to look after their relatives. In a letter published in The Daily Telegraph on Tuesday, the experts say that a lack of "political leadership" must not be allowed to condemn 800,000 frail pensioners to a life of loneliness any longer. The signatories include three advisers who have been leading the Department of Health's consultation on reform, alongside crossbench peers and representatives of the British Medical Association, Age UK, Carers UK, the British Red Cross, and the TUC. They back proposals that no one should pay more than £35,000 for care bills during their lifetime, and urge Mr Cameron to secure cross party support for "lasting reform."