With surge in NHS funding, there’s “now no excuse” not to fund bone clinics Wes Streeting said would be “one of first acts in post”

New funding from Chancellor prioritises early diagnosis, so Labour’s promise to voters on osteoporosis diagnostics must now be honoured

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting promised that early diagnosis services for osteoporosis (called “Fracture Liaison Services) would be set up in every area under a Labour Government, and that commissioning the rollout plan would be one of his first acts in post.  But since the election, nothing has yet emerged.  Today, Labour’s Budget has announced a major injection of funds into the NHS, prioritising diagnostics, so campaigners say “there’s no excuse left for any delay or inaction”.  

Osteoporosis causes bones to break after coughs, sneezes, hugs and stumbles.  90,000 people are missing bone medication to prevent fractures (broken bones) caused by the condition, causing a revolving door of fracture patients in hospitals, up to and including killer hip fractures. 

Half of women aged over 50 will break bones due to osteoporosis, as well as a fifth of men.  Fractures are the second biggest filler of hospital beds.  They’re preventable with safe, effective medication which costs the NHS as little as £12 per year.  But two-thirds of patients are missing treatment due to the postcode lottery for diagnostic services, which are missing in half of Trusts.

These fracture liaison services break even in 18-24 months.

In September, Wes Streeting said about these diagnostic services: “You’ve built a really good evidenced example of what really good secondary prevention looks like.  And these services are not just good for preventing injury amongst patients, you’re also doing the taxpayer a service through saving money”. 

On the nationwide rollout, Mr Streeting said “We made the promise, we’re keeping the promise”.

Without swift action from the Government, people with osteoporosis will suffer 74,000 preventable fractures by 2030, including 31,000 life-threatening hip fractures.  This will cost the NHS 750,000 bed days which would otherwise have helped with reducing waiting lists. Since hip fractures kill over a quarter of sufferers, we’ll see over 8,000 premature deaths.

When the Conservatives neglected fracture services in their last Budget, Mr Streeting called it “a betrayal of patients”. 

Craig Jones, CEO of the Royal Osteoporosis Society said:

“This Budget has given the Department of Health a bonanza injection of much-needed funding.  There’s now no excuse for Mr Streeting not to honour his commitment to roll-out these life-saving osteoporosis services nationally.  Thousands of people with osteoporosis, and their families, voted Labour in the recent election because of the promise to give sufferers an early diagnosis.  Now’s the time to honour the promise of change”.

These osteoporosis diagnostics deliver on all three of the shifts the Health Secretary wants to see in the NHS based, on the report produced by Lord Darzi:

• Analogue to digital – rather than sporadic checks in A&E, databases facilitate proactive, systematic identification of people aged over 50 for an osteoporosis assessment
• Hospital to community – Medication keeps osteoporosis controlled, preventing fractures and hospital visits; These checks can easily be conducted in Community Diagnostic Centres
• Sickness to prevention – Diagnosis after the first fracture and early access to bone medication reduces re-fracture rates by around 40%

A total of 244 Parliamentarians have called for a national rollout of these services, as well as the Presidents of seven Royal Medical Colleges representing 200,000 doctors and 450,000 nurses; as well as employers’ organisations including the CBI and Federation of Small Businesses; and trade unions including the TUC, GMB and Unite. 

Six Integrated Care Systems have been primed to take part in a strong first wave of the roll-out.  A medical steering group including Age UK and eight expert societies has convened to support Ministers and officials in making the roll-out as speedy and effective as possible.