In 2024, the incoming Labour government promised every patient in England access to early diagnosis clinics for osteoporosis, known as Fracture Liaison Services.
Since the election, ministers have repeated that promise nearly 100 times. But patients are still waiting. In two years, just three of the estimated 59 new services needed have opened, leaving tens of thousands of people with osteoporosis at risk of avoidable fractures.
That's why we're supporting an amendment to the Health Bill that would require the government to publish a plan to get its promise back on track, so more people get the treatment they need.
After a fragility fracture, people should be picked up, assessed, and treated to stop the next one.
That’s what Fracture Liaison Services do.
Where they exist, they prevent fractures, reduce pressure on the NHS, and save lives.
But they’re still not available everywhere.
The evidence behind our campaign
Half of women aged 50+ will fracture because of osteoporosis, as well as a fifth of men over 50.
Safe, effective bone medications exist, including two new bone-builder drugs.
But two-thirds of the more than 3.5m people with osteoporosis are being overlooked for treatment, largely due to the postcode lottery for Fracture Liaison Services.
People from deprived areas have a 25% higher risk of fractures, spend longer in hospital recovering, and die in greater numbers after hip fractures.
An independent report by Lane, Clark and Peacock found fractures cost employers 1.5m lost workdays every year and £130m in sick pay.
FLS pro-actively identifies people with osteoporosis after the first fracture, putting patients onto bone medication and systematically monitoring them over 12 months.
FLS is the NICE-backed, HQIP-audited world standard for fracture prevention, used in 60 countries; National rollouts have recently completed in Japan, New Zealand and Wales
FLS reduces re-fracture rates by up to 40%.
FLSs break even within 18-24 months, (with a return on investment of £1.88 for every £1 by five years).
Universal FLS will prevent 74,000 fractures over 5 years, including 31,000 hip fractures
Seven Royal Medical Colleges have called for universal FLS: Physicians, Surgeons, GPs, Nursing, Anesthetists, Emergency Medicine, Occupational Therapy.
Business leaders and unions have called for FLS to keep people in work: CBI, TUC, Federation of Small Businesses, Institute of Directors, British Chamber of Commerce, Unite, GMB, CIPD, British Retail Consortium.
More than 60 charities and organisations call for FLS, including Age UK, Alzheimer’s Society, Fawcett Society, British Menopause Society, Menopause Mandate, Mumsnet and Gransnet.
In some areas, plans for new services have been paused in anticipation of a national rollout plan that has yet to materialise.
Without urgent national action in 2026 - including clear milestones, year-on-year targets and funding - the 2030 commitment to universal FLS provision in England will become impossible to deliver.
New FLSs cannot be delivered through a last-minute surge alone. These vital services are not created overnight, but require time to recruit, staff and identify patients.
To meet the government’s commitment to universal FLS provision in England by 2030, 60 NHS Trusts that currently do not provide FLS will need to establish new services.
This requires consistent year-on-year progress. By 2026 - nearly two years after the pledge was made - around 24 of these 60 NHS Trusts should have launched new FLSs to stay on track. None have.
The Society of Radiographers have warned that: "...unless the roll-out starts by this summer, ministers will find it impossible to meet their 2030 deadline."
