Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the fracture liaison service in (a) fracture diagnosis and (b) early intervention to prevent further fractures.

The Best MSK Health programme, launched in February 2021 by NHS England and NHS Improvement to improve services for musculoskeletal conditions, includes a workstream dedicated to osteoporosis, falls and fragility fracture prevention. One priority of the programme is to facilitate timely and appropriate referral to diagnostics and specialist care.

NHS England and NHS Improvement’s restoration strategy includes a recommendation for systems to optimise secondary prevention of fragility fractures by ensuring equitable provision of and access to quality assured fracture liaison services, which are recognised as best practice.