Craig Jones: No More Broken Bones. No More Broken Lives.

Half of women aged over 50 will break bones due to osteoporosis, and a fifth of men.  For them, a cough, a stumble, even a hug from a loved one, could be the trigger for life-changing pain and disability. These breaks are the fourth worst cause of disability and premature death in the UK, as well as the second greatest filler of hospital beds.  

Too often, broken bones mean broken lives. People affected repeatedly tell us their world has collapsed inwards. We’re thinking of the people who feel trapped indoors during the winter, because a slip on the ice could mean the end of their independence. The workers who should be in their prime but face back pain so overwhelming they’re forced to retire early from the job they love.  The grandparents who hesitate and think again before picking up their grandchild.   

And we’ve seen the impact broken bones have on family members: the people who see mum ‘shrink’ before their eyes, as spinal fractures cause her back to curve and her insides to compress. 

It doesn’t need to be like this.  Anti-osteoporosis medications are safe, effective and highly affordable for the NHS.  But two in every three people who need them are missing out, due to long-term under-prioritization of bone health and low awareness that broken bones can mean osteoporosis. 

We’ve heard the anger of people who got their diagnosis years too late, after numerous broken bones which could have been prevented.  People like Stephen, whose excruciating back pain was wrongly put down to his factory job.  Unable to work, he finally received a scan that showed TEN undiagnosed spinal fractures.  Looking back, Stephen remembers needing help washing and getting dressed, ‘living in the armchair, counting the minutes until the next painkiller’.   Stephen knows he won’t get those years back.   

The thing people tell us they want most is for everyone to get the early diagnosis and care they deserve.  Because so few of them got it themselves.  That’s we’ve been campaigning up and down and the country to achieve the change that people need.  An end to osteoporosis and broken bones being written off as ‘just part of getting older’.  An end to the health service taking advantage of the stoicism of older people.   

And the numbers affected show the urgency of change.  Every other mother, sister and grandmother will face this condition.  Women who feel the health service was designed by men for men, and that menopause isn’t taken seriously.  Men who feel utterly left out of the discussion, even though hundreds of thousands of them face osteoporosis too.  Together, we’ve created a movement of people who know that, unless things change, a longer life won’t be a better life.   

They’re demanding the future they deserve, for themselves and for future generations. 

With their help, we led the longest newspaper campaign in history, alongside the Sunday Express and the Mail on Sunday, championing high-quality diagnostic services for every area, so everyone can get early access to treatment.  And all the main political parties went into the last election promising high-quality osteoporosis services in every area by 2030.   

At long last, we can see an end to the pain and misery caused by osteoporosis.  And we’re determined to fight for it.   

Our new mission for 2030:  

No More Broken Bones. No More Broken Lives. 

By 2030, we’ll make sure that no-one has to live with the pain of untreated osteoporosis, through: 

• Ground-breaking research – We’re driving world-class medical research that will give everyone earlier diagnosis and better treatment – starting with the world’s first screening programme. 

• Life-changing support – As tens of thousands more people get diagnosed early, we’ll scale up our expert Specialist Nurse-led support, so everyone can live free from fear and pain.  

• Influencing top-quality healthcare services in every part of the country – We’ll hold the Government to account on their commitment to better patient services in every part of the country, so no-one faces the misery of delayed diagnosis ever again. 

• A step-change in awareness – We’ll enable millions of people to understand their bone health risk and reduce it in good time to make the difference.   

We’ve never been in a better position to make it happen. The time is now.  

To succeed, we need to increase our activity to meet this urgent and growing need. The Royal Osteoporosis Society (ROS) is the only charity dedicated to stopping broken bones leading to broken lives.  

The difference we make is only possible because of the generosity of people like you. Together we can achieve the future we all want: No More Broken Bones. No More Broken Lives. 

Yours sincerely, 

Craig Jones

Chief Executive of the Royal Osteoporosis Society