Asked by: Baroness Altmann (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the top five causes of (1) disability, and (2) premature death, in England; and how the NHS plans to mitigate or reduce each cause.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study provides a comprehensive picture of mortality and disability across countries, time, age, and sex. It quantifies health loss from hundreds of diseases, injuries, and risk factors, so that health systems can be improved and disparities eliminated.
According to the data for England published by the GBD study in 2019, the top 5 causes of years lived with disability for England were low back pain, diabetes, depressive disorders, headache disorders and falls.
Data for 2022 for England indicates that the five leading causes of death aged under 75 were cancers, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, deaths from external causes, and digestive system diseases.
On the 24 January 2023, we announced our plan to publish the Major Conditions Strategy. This strategy will explore how we can tackle the key drivers of ill-health in England, reduce pressure on the NHS and reduce ill-health related labour market inactivity.
To deliver on these objectives, the strategy will focus on tackling the six major conditions groups – cancers, mental ill-health, cardiovascular disease (including stroke and diabetes), dementia, chronic respiratory diseases, and musculoskeletal disorders – that account for around 60% of ill-health and early death in England.
Focusing on these groups of conditions that contribute most to mortality and morbidity will allow us to focus our efforts on the key actions needed to achieve our Levelling-Up mission to gain five extra years of Healthy Life Expectancy by 2035.
Asked by: Baroness Altmann (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the potential cost savings to (1) the NHS, and (2) employers, in the next 20 years as a result of early detection and treatment of osteoporosis.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have made no estimate of the potential cost savings to the National Health Service, and to employers, in the next 20 years as a result of early detection and treatment of osteoporosis.
Information on the number of working days lost each year that result from bone fractures is not available. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) Sickness absence in the United Kingdom labour market publication is produced from data collected from the Labour Force Survey; however, this survey does not specifically ask the question of sick days taken due to fractures.
A document is attached with tables showing, firstly, the number of deaths where bone fractures were the secondary cause of death, by broad age group and sex, registered between 2014 and 2023 in England and Wales; and secondly, the number of deaths involving bone fractures, by broad age group and sex, registered between 2014 and 2023 in England and Wales.
Government will continue to consider options for further work to support those with osteoporosis and at risk of fractures, including working together with NHS England to explore supporting the provision of fracture liaison service.
Asked by: Baroness Altmann (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimates they have made of the number of (1) deaths and (2) working days lost, each year that result from bone fractures among (a) women, and (b) men.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have made no estimate of the potential cost savings to the National Health Service, and to employers, in the next 20 years as a result of early detection and treatment of osteoporosis.
Information on the number of working days lost each year that result from bone fractures is not available. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) Sickness absence in the United Kingdom labour market publication is produced from data collected from the Labour Force Survey; however, this survey does not specifically ask the question of sick days taken due to fractures.
A document is attached with tables showing, firstly, the number of deaths where bone fractures were the secondary cause of death, by broad age group and sex, registered between 2014 and 2023 in England and Wales; and secondly, the number of deaths involving bone fractures, by broad age group and sex, registered between 2014 and 2023 in England and Wales.
Government will continue to consider options for further work to support those with osteoporosis and at risk of fractures, including working together with NHS England to explore supporting the provision of fracture liaison service.
Asked by: Baroness Altmann (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to announce funding for improved fracture liaison services across England to avoid a postcode lottery relating to early detection of osteoporosis.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) are commissioned by integrated care boards (ICBs) which are well placed to make decisions according to local need. NHS England is also supporting requests from health systems to introduce FLS and other secondary fracture prevention services, including through the Falls and Fragility Fracture Audit Programme.
On 24 January 2023, we announced our plan to publish the Major Conditions Strategy. This strategy will explore how we can tackle the key drivers of ill-health in England, reduce pressure on the National Health Service and reduce ill-health related labour market inactivity. The Strategy will focus on six major groups of conditions including musculoskeletal conditions, such as osteoporosis, and will be published early next year.
As stated in the Major Conditions Strategy: Case for change and our strategic framework, the Government will work together with NHS England to explore supporting the provision of fracture liaison services. The framework was published on GOV.UK on 21 August 2023 in an online-only format.
Asked by: Baroness Altmann (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to prioritise early detection of osteoporosis in older adults, especially women, and to enhance the timely diagnosis and treatment of people with osteoporosis, following ministerial commitments to do so.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 24 January 2023, we announced our plan to publish the Major Conditions Strategy. The Strategy will focus on six major groups of conditions, including musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders such as osteoporosis.
We have now published our initial report ‘Major conditions strategy: case for change and our strategic framework’, which is available on GOV.UK in an online-only format. It sets out what we have learned so far, and shares what we plan to focus on next to develop the final strategy.
For MSK conditions, it sets out that we will look to aim to improve services where medical treatment is necessary. Together with NHS England, we will explore supporting the further provision of fracture liaison services. This could include identifying people at risk of further osteoporotic fragility fracture and implementing strategies to reduce the risk of future fracture, including falls, and mortality.