Working together to close the care gap

The ROS was delighted to be involved in the first Fracture Liaison Service (FLS) conference in Wales, held on Thursday 20 October for World Osteoporosis Day.

Dr Inderpal Singh, Consultant Geriatrician and National Clinical Lead for Falls and Frailty in Wales, helped organise and facilitate the conference, along with representatives from Welsh Government, Local Health Boards, the ROS, the Royal College of Physicians, British Geriatrics Society, and the charity sector.

Following the conference, we catch up with Dr Singh to learn more about his role and the work he’s doing to ensure equal access to osteoporosis care and treatment in Wales.

Tell us a bit about your role

I’m a consultant geriatrician in Wales and oversee the Caerphilly Falls and Bone Health Service, a wide-reaching service that specialises in assessing people’s medical, nursing and physical or daily living needs.

We run falls and bone health clinics at the local hospital. We also run a Fracture Liaison Service (FLS) for the wider area where we identify people aged 50 and older who have had a ‘fragility fracture’.

We care for people who have broken bones or other injuries after falling over, and who may have lost their confidence as a result. We assess these people and check whether they are at risk of falling again and work with them to reduce their risk.

All of our patients also have a bone health assessment to check for osteoporosis and receive a ‘bone health care plan’. This includes lifestyle advice for good bone health, information on osteoporosis and drug treatment options.

Check your risk

Bones are living organs and are important, just like your heart and brain; remember them and make sure you exercise safely and regularly!

The ROS’s online risk checker provides people with free, tailored advice about their risk and practical tips on how to take action on their bone health.

What motivates you?

Many of our patients arrive not knowing anything about osteoporosis but leave with a good understanding of the things they can do to take control of their bone health. It’s always a pleasure to hear people say things like, “I wasn’t expecting you could do something to improve my bone strength”, or “Thank you for helping me to go out again and see my grandchildren”, or “I’ve regained my confidence and can do my gardening again!”.

How are you sharing local learning nationally?

I have been working with the Welsh Health Boards and the charity sector to ensure a standardised national approach and equal access to services – meeting the needs for the whole population in Wales.

I have introduced a national FLS development and quality assurance group to improve and support the delivery of care across Wales and reduce the chances of patients having subsequent fractures.

Our aim is to help people avoid falling over again by improving muscle strength and bone health, helping them to live full and independent lives. Our amazing team works closely with each individual and, depending on their needs, we can recommend other organisations that we think will benefit them.

Working together to break the silence on bone health

We have also worked closely with the ROS for several years, which supports us with staff awareness and training. This has improved our communications with patients, as we now send them osteoporosis information and ROS contact details for further support.

On World Osteoporosis Day (20 October), we held the first FLS conference to promote equal access to osteoporosis care and treatment in Wales. The event was opened by the Minister for Health and Social Services, Eluned Morgan MS and included presentations from the Chief Executive and Chief Medical Officer of NHS Wales.

Healthcare professionals in attendance came away with information and support to help improve bone health and secondary fracture care for the people of Wales.

Craig Jones, CEO of the ROS, who spoke at the conference, says:

“The excellent World Osteoporosis Day conference in Wales sent the strongest message we’ve seen yet – from anywhere in the UK – that the postcode lottery for osteoporosis care needs to end. The combination of the Health Minister, the CEO of the Welsh NHS and the Deputy Chief Medical Officer sent a powerful message of political commitment. The new FLS Development and Quality Assurance group will help us support, encourage, and hold the decision makers to account. Now we need to bottle the energy from this superb event and make it happen”.

It’s never too early or too late to act on your bone health. Complete the risk checker today and make positive changes to help keep your bones strong and healthy.