By GB News (World News) | Created at 2026-09-19 23:52:21 | Updated at 2026-09-20 00:38:37
1 hour ago
Nearly 10,000 people a year are suffering potentially deadly hip fractures after missing out on treatment that could have protected their bones, a major NHS-funded report warns today.
Experts say thousands of patients who break a bone in a minor fall are being denied vital care because of a “postcode lottery” in osteoporosis services.
The Royal Osteoporosis Society estimates around 2,000 people die each year from a hip fracture that could have been prevented by a specialist bone health clinic - known as Fracture Liaison Service (FLS).
But a new report shows just 51 per cent of NHS trusts currently have these specialist services, which identify and treat people with weaker bones.
The findings drawn from the Royal College of Physicians National Hip Fracture report warn: “At least 10,000 people each year have not been offered bone treatment after a first fragility fracture that might have avoided this hip fracture.”
The research shows around 72,000 people across England, Wales, Jersey and Northern Ireland require hospital treatment for a hip fracture each year.
A quarter of these have already suffered a previous fracture, which should have raised the alarm that they were at increased risk.
Hip fractures occupy one in 30 hospital beds and cost the NHS £1.1billion and social care £1.25billion in the first 120 days following a fracture.
The research shows around 72,000 people across England, Wales, Jersey and Northern Ireland require hospital treatment for a hip fracture each year
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Men account for almost a third - 32 per cent - of hip fractures but are nearly twice as likely to die. In 2025, eight per cent of male patients and five per cent of female patients died following a hip fracture.
Osteoporosis causes approximately 500,000 broken bones every year in the UK. The Royal Osteoporosis Society estimates universal effective FLS coverage in England could prevent 74,000 fractures, including 31,000 hip fractures, over five years and save the NHS £665million.
The report, Mind the Gap: Challenging Inequities in Hip Fracture Care, and funded by NHS England, is calling for universal provision of Fracture Liaison Services, warning: “Where someone lives should not affect whether they receive Fracture Liaison Service support to avoid future fractures.”
The Government pledged to roll out FLS across England by 2030, but campaigners say there is still no national implementation plan.
Hip fractures occupy one in 30 hospital beds and cost the NHS £1.1billion
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Ruth Wakeman, Director at the Royal Osteoporosis Society, said: “This report exposes a huge missed opportunity to prevent devastating hip fractures.
“Around 10,000 people every year are reaching hospital with a broken hip after an earlier fracture had already shown they were at risk, but without receiving bone-strengthening treatment that might have prevented it.
“The NHS’s own national clinical audit is now explicitly calling for universal Fracture Liaison Services.
“The Government has promised exactly that, both before the election and in its NHS 10 Year Plan, yet there is still no national implementation plan.
“These services save lives, keep people independent and can pay for themselves within 18 to 24 months.
“The case for acting is overwhelming.”
Anastasios Nikolaidis, National Hip Fracture Database orthopaedic surgery clinical lead, said the new report “emphasises the need for equitable and fair health care to prevent differences in access, treatment and outcomes.
“This variation in care should be identified and challenged so that every patient, regardless of who they are or where they live, has the best possible opportunity for recovery and prevention of future fractures, through the establishment of effective Fracture Liaison Services across the country.”
