Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to improve waiting times for treatment for osteoporosis patients.

Our aim is that 95% of patients needing a diagnostic check receive it within six weeks, by March 2025. As of April 2024, there are 160 community diagnostic centres (CDCs) currently operational that have delivered over seven million additional tests since July 2021. Some of these CDCs will offer bone density scans, also known as dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scans, which can be used to diagnose or assess patients’ risk of osteoporosis. There are 22 CDCs already providing DEXA scans across England, as of March 2024.

From 2022/23 to 2024/25, the Government is spending more than £11.3 billion to support elective recovery and tackle long waiting times, which could deliver nine million more checks and procedures to help support patients with conditions like osteoporosis.