Campaign for early diagnosis services in every area

We have joined forces with the Sunday Express and Mail on Sunday to campaign for early diagnosis services (called Fracture Liaison Services) in every area.

The campaigns are calling for:

• A mandate from Government that everyone over 50 should be covered by a quality early diagnosis service (FLS)

• Time limited Transformation Funding to pump-prime new early diagnosis services (FLS)

• A National Clinical Director to lead the change

In England and Wales, only half (51%) of NHS trusts have an early diagnosis service (FLS), the gold standard for systematically identifying, assessing and treating anyone who breaks a bone after age 50.

This means 90,000 people are missing out on vital osteoporosis treatment and at risk of further fractures simply because of their postcode.

We're calling on the Government to ensure everyone in England has access to an early diagnosis service (FLS), meaning equal access to vital osteoporosis treatment and care. This will be in line with Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, who currently have 100% FLS coverage.

The problem

The burden of preventable fractures on the NHS is enormous. 1m acute hospital bed days are taken up by hip fracture patients and £2bn is spent annually on hip fracture care.

Hip fractures are ‘heart attack-level’ events, which impose major burdens on hospitals, ambulances and social care.

Many of these fractures are preventable. Half of hip fracture patients had a previous fracture that could have flagged them as being at risk.

The solution

Early diagnosis services (FLS) are a cost-effective model that requires modest investment for significant return.

For every £1 spend on early diagnosis services (FLS), £1.88 is saved by the NHS.

We’re calling for time-limited Transformation Funding to end the postcode lottery for early diagnosis services (FLS).

If everyone in England had access to an effective early diagnosis service (FLS), 74,000 fractures would be prevented, including 31,000 hip fractures, over five years.

This would save the NHS £665m and release 750,000 bed days.