Wales: Fracture Liaison Services rolled out across the country
Impressive milestone followed up by a new quality statement for osteoporosis and bone health that provides a framework for the delivery of care and a commitment to meeting the 80/50/80 standard by 2030.
In Wales, an important milestone in osteoporosis care was announced in September 2024 with the official rollout of Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) across the country. See press release.
At the time, Health and Social Care Cabinet Secretary, Jeremy Miles, said: "I am delighted to say we have achieved our aim of rolling out FLS across Wales. This will prevent costly hospital admissions, delivering significant savings for the NHS and support people to continue their lives more confidently at home after a fall.”
More than £1m in funding from the Six Goals Programme for Urgent and Emergency Care and from the Welsh Value in Health Centre helped develop FLS services in areas where there was no provision, and supported expansion and improvement of existing services. The funding resulted in an additional 13 Clinical Nurse Specialists and 11 administration staff recruited to FLS across Wales.
Dr Singh said: “Today marks an important milestone in the journey to improve fracture liaison service provision in Wales.”
"I am deeply grateful to the members of the FLS Quality Assurance and Development Group, our third sector partners, clinical leadership across the health boards and the dedicated staff working in fracture liaison services who have given their time and support to get us to this point.
Coverage may currently differ from one area to another, but each health board has made a long-term commitment to continuing to develop and improve their FLS to support the needs of the population and to reduce the impact falls and fractures have on our NHS.
"Our teams are committed to developing fracture liaison services that truly benefit the people of Wales.”
New quality statement for osteoporosis and bone health unveiled
A second important development was the publication of the new quality statement for osteoporosis and bone health, as announced in December 2024. See press release.
This provides a framework for the delivery of care, including prevention, treatment and supporting recovery, for people suffering with bone conditions like osteoporosis.
It includes a new commitment to meeting the 80/50/80 standard by 2030 – this requires 80% of fracture patients to be identified; 50% to be put onto bone treatment and 80% followed up after 12 months to ensure they are following treatment, and their risk of further fractures is minimised. View Quality statement for osteoporosis and bone health
The Welsh FLS model has three key priorities, all underpinned by a quality framework that includes quality planning, quality improvement, and quality management and assurance. These priorities are guided by quality principles to:
- Promote health by raising awareness and educating the public on bone health and osteoporosis.
- Prevent re-fracture by improving identification, management, and treatment based on national standards.
- Provide care through integration, partnership, and co-production.
Dr. Singh emphasized that patient involvement, innovation, and collaboration remain key to developing and implementing FLS. A quality initiative introduced within a Welsh Health Board is transforming osteoporosis care by using an automated digital system to integrate data from X-rays, CT scans, and MRIs for fracture identification. In collaboration with the Bevan Commission, Dr. Singh is working to adopt and spread this innovation across Wales.
Wales has already observed an increase in fragility fracture identification, rising from 16.8% in 2023 to 23.9% in 2024, equating to an additional 1,500 patients identified within a year.
Capture the Fracture® congratulates all stakeholders who have helped to realize this important achievement.