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Thanks for speaking with the ROS Pink Ladies

#PublishTheBonePlan

Thanks for speaking with the ROS Pink Ladies

Thank you for taking the time to meet our Pink Ladies – volunteers who know first-hand the impact osteoporosis has on people’s lives. Their experiences reflect a national problem that has been overlooked for too long. Half of women over 50, and one in five men, will suffer a fracture because of osteoporosis. For people of working age, fractures mean more than 1 million sick days each year and a loss to employers of up to £142m.

At the same time, the NHS is struggling with the consequences. Hip fractures alone cost health and care services £2bn every year and take up more than a million hospital bed days. Yet two-thirds of people who need medication never receive it, and only around half of NHS Trusts have the world standard early diagnosis services for osteoporosis (Fracture Liaison Services). In areas without these services, people are patched up in fracture clinics but never assessed for their underlying osteoporosis – leaving them at risk of breaking another bone.

This is a system that fixes bones but doesn’t prevent the next break. And yet, we know what works. Fracture Liaison Services reduce the risk of another fracture by up to 40 percent. If rolled out across the country, 74,000 fractures – including 31,000 hip fractures – could be prevented within five years, releasing 750,000 hospital bed days.

Every major political party promised to deliver FLS nationwide by 2030 at the last election. The worry our Pink Ladies shared is that progress has been slow, and patients can’t afford further delay. That’s why we are calling on government to #PublishTheBonePlan – setting out how this pledge will be delivered in practice. With your support, we can turn that promise into action and make sure patients get the care they deserve.

Get involved

Whether you’re a Parliamentarian or a supporter, you can play a vital role in making Fracture Liaison Services available for everyone.

Parliamentarians and elected officials

How you can help

  • Raise our campaign in Parliament to keep osteoporosis on the agenda.
  • Table a Written or Oral Question to press for progress on the government’s pledge to roll out Fracture Liaison Services across England by 2030.
  • Share your support on social media using #PublishTheBonePlan
  • Write directly to the Secretary of State for Health to call for the publication of the Bone Plan.
  • Meet with the Royal Osteoporosis Society to discuss the impact in your constituency and the opportunities for prevention.
  • Share the concerns of our Pink Ladies and other constituents with Ministers and colleagues.

What to do now

Please contact the ROS staff team to discuss how they can support you to effect change on this issue and secure the support people with osteoporosis have been promised.

 

 

Supporters

How you can help

Osteoporosis has been overlooked for too long – but together we can change that.

Here’s how you can help:

  • Write to your MP and ask them to support our campaign

  • Become a member of the Royal Osteoporosis Society to strengthen our voice

  • Share your support on social media using #PublishTheBonePlan

Your support helps keep osteoporosis on the political agenda and ensures services reach the people who need them most.