Support

We’ll expand our support offer through digital, one-to-many channels that will reach more people than ever before.

The challenge

We want to dramatically transform people’s and carers’ experience of osteoporosis. Every year, our support services help tens of thousands of people to live well with the condition. But we know we’re reaching only the tip of the iceberg. There are millions of people in need of our help who we don’t reach at all.

Our support services continue to be in record demand following the pandemic. To play our full role we need to modernise our services, reach more people and ensure no one feels excluded from the help we offer.

The evidence

• A quarter of people (26%) are living in long-term pain; a third of those (36%) say the pain is severe or unbearable.

• Half of people (48%) say osteoporosis has affected their emotional health, mainly because of pain and having to stop activities they enjoy. 70% say that fear of broken bones has had a significant impact on what they do.

• Only half (53%) of people feel the benefits and drawbacks of their medication were properly explained.

• 80% of people who are recommended osteoporosis medication never start taking it, or stop taking it within a year.

• Only half of people (54%) feel confident about managing their osteoporosis.

The change we'll make

Significantly widen the reach of our specialist support and information services to help more people live well.

Over the next four years, we’ll expand our support offer through digital, one-to-many channels that will reach more people than ever before. Our target will be to reach a million engagements per year by the end of 2025. We’ll concentrate on the themes people have told us are most important for them: especially support with medication, exercise and healthy eating to strengthen bones. We’ll put a special emphasis on supporting people who are newly diagnosed. And our impressive network of volunteers will be at the centre of our effort to design new services.

An early priority will be to refresh our membership offer to provide long-term support, including to people who are less comfortable online, while finding new ways to connect our members across different parts of the UK.

We know osteoporosis can be tough on carers, family and friends, so we’ll provide the best quality information to support them too.

Underpinning all this will be an ambitious refresh of our website, so we can give people better content, a more usable platform and a modern, more informal look and feel.

Finally, we’ll raise our profile with healthcare professionals so they routinely direct all patients to our information and support.

Prioritise helping more people feel empowered with their treatment plan and care

An osteoporosis medication plan can be complicated to follow, which isn’t helped by a lack of review and systematic follow-up in many areas of the country. We’ll prioritise helping people to become more confident with their medication plan through our digital and telephone support.

Support with navigating public services is important too. We’ll empower people to know what excellent care looks like, and how to discuss any concerns with their healthcare team. We’ll give people the knowledge and confidence to ask questions, interpret advice, and make informed choices about their care.

Read our strategy