The Labour government has been accused of using 'smoke and mirrors' to disguise a lack of progress on a key campaign promise to end the postcode lottery for osteoporosis care, with campaigners warning that 40,000 people could die needlessly as a result.
Slow Progress on Fracture Liaison Services
At the current rate of progress, the rollout of fracture liaison services (FLS) across England could take 38 years, according to the Royal Osteoporosis Society (ROS). These services identify and treat osteoporosis in patients who present with a fracture for the first time. The ROS estimates that 40,000 people may die needlessly due to the delay.
The government had pledged to ensure FLS are available in all parts of the country by 2030. However, Health Minister Baroness Merron claimed in the House of Lords that 23 of England's 25 newly reconfigured Integrated Care Board (ICB) areas now contain at least one FLS. The ROS says this statistic is misleading because the 'NHS administrative map has changed' but the 'underlying service footprint has barely moved'.
Charity Highlights Gaps in Access
The ROS notes that since Labour came to power, only 4,500 extra patients are being seen out of the unserved population of 119,000 in England. Around half of NHS trusts in England still lack an FLS. Under Labour's changes, 42 ICBs have been reduced to 25, with some serving more than four million people. The charity highlights that the North East London ICB serves around 2.2 million people but has just one FLS, which 'cannot reasonably be regarded as providing meaningful access across the entire ICB'.
In the Devon and Cornwall ICB, patients in Devon face a '4.5-hour round trip' to reach the only FLS in Truro.
Political Reactions
Conservative peer Baroness Altmann said: 'I'm afraid this is just smoke and mirrors. Ministers promised universal fracture liaison services by 2030. They cannot now redraw NHS boundaries [and] pretend that patients have gained access to care that simply does not exist. One hospital-based service cannot possibly provide meaningful access across an NHS region serving three or four million people. Patients deserve treatment, follow-up and honesty - not creative accounting.'
Tory peer Lord Black stated in a letter to Baroness Merron: 'Administrative reorganisation is not rollout. Merging NHS organisations does not create a single new FLS. It does not expand patient access. It does not prevent a single hip fracture.'
Government Response
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson told the Sunday Express: 'This Government remains committed to rolling out fracture liaison services by 2030, as set out in our 10 Year Health Plan and the Women’s Health Strategy. But we’re also taking action in the meantime by investing in 20 new state-of-the-art DEXA scanners across the country, building on the first wave of 13 last year. These new machines will help diagnose fragile bones earlier and prevent painful, life-changing fractures - particularly among older people and women, who are disproportionately affected by osteoporosis.'
