A growing chorus of the nation’s leading experts in osteoporosis are calling for the Health Secretary Wes Streeting to honour his promise to end the NHS postcode lottery which condemns millions of people to suffer preventable fractures.
Before the election, Wes Streeting told this newspaper that one of his first acts in Government would be to task NHS England with a ‘rollout plan’ so every part of the country has access to Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) – the gold standard in the early diagnosis of the debilitating bone disease.
He also promised an extra 15,000 bone density scans, known as DEXA scans, every year to make sure the disease – which causes bones to weaken and leads to untold pain and suffering from fractures – could be diagnosed sooner.
But Chancellor Rachel Reeves‘s Budget, which allocated an additional £22.6 billion to the NHS, made no mention of osteoporosis care. This comes even though Mr Streeting accused Rishi Sunak‘s Government of a ‘betrayal of patients’ for failing to deliver FLS funding in the March Budget.
Now a steering group of prominent charities, medical societies and patient groups has written to Mr Streeting urging him to ‘act now’. The group – which includes the Royal Osteoporosis Society, Age UK, Versus Arthritis and the Royal College of Physicians – said it welcomed Mr Streeting’s ‘important commitment’ to achieve full FLS coverage by 2030, but sought ‘confirmation’ of when the plans would be launched.
It said: ‘Having regard to your comments in The Mail on Sunday, we hope the FLS roll-out can now be an early priority.’
GP and medical broadcaster Dr Sarah Jarvis has also added her voice to the campaign, describing the failure to tackle the issue as ‘a scandal’. ‘The simple fact is that Wes Streeting did commit to Fracture Liaison Services in writing,’ says Dr Jarvis. ‘I wish I was surprised by the fact the plan wasn’t mentioned in the Budget but the truth is osteoporosis care has always been at the back of the queue – it’s the silent epidemic.
‘FLS are a minimum requirement for patients. Given the lives impacted by this condition and the cost to the NHS and social services of caring for frail people with fractures, screening for osteoporosis is a no-brainer for the NHS – which is why the Government needs to fund it.’
There are 3.5 million people living with osteoporosis in the UK, but it is often known as a ‘silent disease’ as there are no symptoms until someone breaks a bone.
Half of all women and one in five men over 50 will suffer a fracture, most often in the spine or hips, because of the disease, which causes bones to become so fragile a break can be triggered by a cough or sneeze. Such fractures are the fourth biggest cause of disability and premature death in the UK.
Dr Jarvis points to statistics which show people who fracture a hip are up to eight times more likely to die within three months and three to four times more likely to die within a year.
And she also describes her own experience with the disease, which was diagnosed 15 months ago after she demanded a scan, and which the 61-year-old said had left her with bones ‘like a 90-year-old’.
‘As a GP with a knowledge of the risks, so I was diagnosed before I had multiple fractures, I’m very aware I’m one of the lucky ones because it was picked up,’ she said.
The Mail on Sunday launched a campaign last year to expand FLS to every part of England, backed by the Royal Osteoporosis Society.
At the moment, only half of all Trusts have the services, which aim to investigate the cause of fractures by carrying out DEXA scans and treating osteoporosis if it is found. Diagnosing it early means patients can start taking bone-preserving drugs sooner – leading to better outcomes and fewer fractures.
The campaign was spearheaded by the Mail’s Business Editor Ruth Sunderland, following her osteoporosis diagnosis. Last month she was invited to meet the Queen, who congratulated Ruth for raising awareness of the condition.
The group’s letter also points out that treatment ‘costs the NHS as little as £12 per year’ and that introducing a FLS ‘breaks even in 18 to 24 months’.
Dr Nicky Peel, the former clinical lead for the metabolic bone service at Sheffield’s Northern General Hospital, who is also a trustee of the Royal Osteoporosis Society, said: ‘There is a real urgency to assess people who
suffer low-impact fractures thoroughly and promptly as there’s good evidence this can protect against further fractures and save the NHS money in the long term.
‘Four months after Wes Streeting said this would be one of the first things he set in motion we’re still waiting to find out how and when it will be implemented. The clock is ticking – and for people who miss out and suffer fractures as a result, their chance will be gone.’
