‘Work to be done on osteoporosis but we are listening’

OSTEOPOROSIS is a debilitating and devastating condition affecting millions of people.yet few people think about their bone health, even though fracturerelated issues cause as many deaths as diabetes or lung cancer.

I want to thank the Sunday Express and the Royal Osteoporosis Society for continuing to highlight how care can be improved in this area.

As a government we’re committed to making sure people get the best care no matter what condition they have. Just last week we set out plans for our Major Conditions Strategy, part of which focuses on musculoskeletal conditions such as osteoporosis.

As part of the blueprint, we’re setting out what we’ve learned so far in this area and sharing what we plan to focus on in the final strategy.

Crucially, this will include exploring ways to establish more fracture liaison services and we are working closely with the NHS and Royal Osteoporosis Society to take that forward.

We will set out more details on this later this year.

We also recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of the landmark Women’s Health Strategy, which sets out our ambition to improve experiences for those with conditions like osteoporosis and fragility fractures, which disproportionately affect women.

I know there’s work to be done on osteoporosis and we will continue to listen to those affected and those that represent them, like the Royal Osteoporosis Society.

By putting greater focus on identifying those at particular risk, and addressing any treatment “gaps” that exist, I am confident we can make a huge difference.