Royal Osteoporosis Society response to the first report of the Major Conditions Strategy

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) today released early findings from its Major Conditions Strategy, with the final report expected in early 2024.  

The Government says:

“Identifying osteoporosis within our population and intervening after a person experiences their first fracture could help us to greatly reduce the risk of further fracture. Existing secondary fracture prevention initiatives, namely fracture liaison services, could present a viable and effective route to improving health outcomes and reducing years lost to disability for those at risk of osteoporotic fracture”.

Officials go on to say:

We will look to:

• …aim to improve services where medical treatment is necessary. Together with NHS England we will explore supporting the provision of fracture liaison services. This could include identifying people at risk of further osteoporotic fragility fracture and implementing strategies to reduce risk of future fracture (including falls) and mortality.

 In response, Craig Jones, CEO of the Royal Osteoporosis Society says:

“We’re glad to see the commitment to exploring how to support Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) in this report.  FLS is the world standard for preventing fractures, deployed across 55 developed countries.  They’re backed by a global clinical and academic consensus due to their outstanding record in controlling osteoporosis.

It puts us to shame that 90,000 people are missing out on osteoporosis drugs because our NHS has so far fallen behind on these services. Those people, and their families, want to see more action and decisiveness. In the six months until the final report, we’ll see another 800 deaths due to hip fractures which could have been prevented if FLS were in place.   

Without action, it’ll be impossible for the PM to deliver on his pledge to cut NHS waiting lists, when fractures are the second highest driver of emergency bed occupancy.  

We need a bold Government mandate that everyone over 50 in England should be covered by FLS, just like they have in Wales.  Every day we delay, we’ll see more broken lives due to fractures”.