A government commitment to establish 59 new brittle bone clinics by 2030 is unlikely to be met for another 38 years at the current rate of progress, according to campaigners.
Analysis of government data indicates that the planned rollout will take 34 years longer than promised. This delay could result in an additional 40,000 preventable deaths, campaigners estimate. Osteoporosis affects over 3.5 million people in the UK, with women disproportionately impacted. Many individuals are unaware they have the condition until they suffer a bone fracture.
Charities argue that increased early detection centers could save the National Health Service millions of pounds and, more importantly, thousands of lives. The Royal Osteoporosis Society estimates that 2,500 people die annually from the consequences of preventable hip fractures.
Following a campaign by The Mail on Sunday and the Royal Osteoporosis Society, then Health Secretary Wes Streeting pledged to eliminate geographical disparities and implement a universal Fracture Liaison Service (FLS) by 2030. Health Minister Baroness Merron recently stated in the House of Lords that 23 out of England's 25 newly configured Integrated Care Board (ICB) areas now have at least one FLS, suggesting the rollout is progressing. However, the Royal Osteoporosis Society reports that 97 percent of these services predate the current government's tenure.
According to data analysis, there has been a net increase of only two FLS clinics since the current government took office. Baroness Altmann criticized this progress, calling it "smoke and mirrors." She stated that ministers cannot redefine NHS boundaries and claim patients have gained access to non-existent care. She emphasized that a single hospital-based service cannot adequately serve an NHS region of three to four million people, stressing the need for patients to receive treatment, follow-up, and honesty rather than "creative accounting."