ROSS FINNIE SUPPORTS IMPROVING OSTEOPOROSIS AND FRACTURE SERVICES IN SCOTLAND

Written by Ross Finnie on Fri 24th Apr 2009

Ross Finnie, West of Scotland MSP shows Support for Improving Osteoporosis and Fracture Services in Scotland.

Osteoporosis Manifesto Calls for Improved Services for the 250,000 at Risk of Painful Fractures in Scotland.

A new Manifesto has been launched that outlines steps to eradicate unnecessary broken bones and save the NHS in Scotland hundreds of millions of pounds currently spent on fracture care. The National Osteoporosis Society published detailed actions that Scottish Politicians and Policymakers must take to stop people with osteoporosis breaking bones again and again.

"Painful and debilitating fractures are not an inevitable result of osteoporosis, yet most healthcare services do little to prevent them," said Claire Severgnini, Chief Executive of the National Osteoporosis Society. "Thousands of needless fractures are being allowed to occur each year until this major public health problem and health inequality is tackled. Our manifesto highlights the key challenges that must be met to provide osteoporosis sufferers with the appropriate diagnosis, care and treatments they deserve."

Ross Finnie MSP supports of the Osteoporosis Manifesto which was presented to MSPs and officials at Edinburgh's Royal College of Physicians on Wednesday 22nd April.

Osteoporosis causes fragile bones, which can lead to agonising and disabling fractures. It is a long-term condition which is currently putting 250,000 people in Scotland at risk of painful fractures, which are costly for the NHS to treat. The combined annual cost of hospital and social care for patients with hip fracture in the UK is £2 billion - that's over £5 million a day.

"Much can be done to prevent these fractures but services in Scotland are scarce," said Professor David Reid, Chair of the National Osteoporosis Society. "Fracture rates can be halved by the timely identification of osteoporosis and the consequent prescription of treatment to increase bone strength. This Manifesto provides simple guidance to significantly reduce the impact of osteoporosis and fractures."

The Osteoporosis Manifesto identifies five areas where vast improvements are needed: the management of falls, fragility fractures and osteoporosis; clinical guidance; the assessment of clinical performance; primary care services and public awareness and education.

"With budgets pushed to breaking point, focussing on these five key areas could help save time and money," added Dr Reid. "This isn't an empty call to action; we know that these measures work. They can improve quality of life, restore independence and help to save thousands of lives each year."

Carole Rogerson, and osteoporosis sufferer from Dumfriesshire welcomes the manifesto.

"Five years ago I had a low impact fall and broke my wrist. The shock for me was that two bones had broken so easily, but no one mentioned osteoporosis. I wasn't until two years later, when I changed GPs, that I was finally given a scan and diagnosed with osteoporosis. It's terrifying to think what could have happened in that time. More needs to be done to make sure people like me don't slip through the net and end up breaking more bones."

The National Osteoporosis Society is the only UK wide charity dedicated to improving the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. In the UK, one in two women and one in five men over the age of 50 will break a bone mainly because of osteoporosis.1,150 people are dying every month in the UK as a result of hip fractures.

-Ends-

The 5 challenges

The Osteoporosis Manifesto identifies five challenges for MSPs, the Scottish Government and the NHS in Scotland. By meeting them, we can improve care for people with or at risk of osteoporosis. We can also prevent thousands of painful, costly and unnecessary fragility fractures from occurring every year:

1. A Fracture Liaison Service (FLS) linked to every hospital that receives fragility fractures in the UK, to ensure that every fragility fracture patient gets the treatment and care they need.

• FLS have been found to assess over 95% of fragility fracture patients presenting at hospital, compared to just 25% at hospitals without them.

• The salary of a Fracture Liaison Nurse starts from just £29,000, compared to £28,500 to treat and care for a single hip fracture.

• Despite the proven success of FLS, such as the highly effective service in Glasgow, services in Scotland are variable.

2. Coherent clinical guidance for the prevention, diagnosis and care of falls, fragility fractures and osteoporosis.

• National clinical guidance on osteoporosis and fragility fractures desperately needs updating to ensure that patients receive the best care.

3. The quality and systems of care for people with or at risk of falls, fragility fractures and osteoporosis to be measured on a regular basis, to stimulate best practice.

• Several major national audit programmes across the UK provide vital information on how the NHS is performing. The Scottish Government must guarantee the future of these audits.

4. Healthcare professionals working in primary care to be offered meaningful financial incentives to find and treat those at a high risk of fragility fracture

• GPs should receive the same incentives for fracture prevention as they do for conditions like kidney disease and COPD.

• The Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) of the General Medical Services contract was put in place in 2004 to provide incentives for GPs to treat certain conditions. Full inclusion in QOF is necessary to ensure that GP surgeries receive adequate incentives to put the systems of care in place.

5. Measures to improve understanding of bone health amongst individuals of all ages, with positive messages communicated in schools.

• Over 70% of people under the age of 30 in Scotland do not know when they will start to make the lifestyle changes they need to ensure strong bones, have no intention of doing so, or will leave it too late.