How to End the Postcode Lottery for Access to a Quality Fracture Liaison Service

This inquiry report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Osteoporosis and Bone Health highlighted the scale of under-diagnosis, under-treatment and missed opportunities in NHS care for osteoporosis, setting out a blueprint for change.

The report identified significant variation in access to Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) – the internationally recognised standard for identifying and treating osteoporosis after a fracture. Only 51% of NHS trusts in England offer these services, with large areas of England and Wales lacking coverage.

Modelling by the Royal Osteoporosis Society suggested that implementing the blueprint across England and Wales could prevent more than 50,000 fractures over five years and deliver significant savings to the health and social care system.

Half of women over 50 and one fifth of men will break a bone due to osteoporosis. People who have suffered their first fracture are at high risk of further fractures, so early intervention is crucial. Yet the Inquiry found a third (38%) of people had to wait over a year after their first broken bone to get diagnosed; almost one in five (17%) had to wait more than five years.

Read the full APPG Report here.

The APPG held three oral evidence sessions in 2021 and a launch event for the final report in Parliament. You can watch the recordings of these meetings on YouTube. Minutes are available on request.