A damning report has revealed that the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, has failed to deliver on his promise to expand life-saving fracture liaison services across the country. Despite Labour’s pledge to make this a top priority, only three new services have opened since they came to power, leaving half of NHS trusts without specialist support to detect and manage osteoporosis.
This alarming “postcode lottery” means that thousands of people are being put at risk of preventable fractures and even death each year. The Royal Osteoporosis Society has warned that an estimated 2,500 people die annually following hip fractures that could have been avoided if proper services were in place.
Shadow Health Minister Caroline Johnson accused Streeting of presiding over a “deluge of broken promises” that is “raining down on patient safety like a hailstorm.” She warned that the Health Secretary needs to “get his act together” before more lives are needlessly lost.
The government has committed to rolling out fracture liaison services nationwide by 2030 as part of its 10-Year Health Plan. However, at the current glacial pace, it is projected to take until 2055 before this pledge is fulfilled – a full 29 years later than promised.
A Department of Health spokesperson defended the government’s record, stating that they are “ensuring people with bone conditions get diagnosed earlier” through increased investment in DEXA scanners. But critics argue this is simply not enough to address the scale of the crisis facing osteoporosis patients across the country.
With 3.5 million Britons suffering from the debilitating bone disease, the lack of access to specialist services is a major public health concern. Urgent action is needed from the Health Secretary to make good on his commitments and end the postcode lottery that is costing lives.
