'1,100 deaths' from broken hips since bone clinic vow

MORE than 1,100 people have died from preventable broken hips since Health Secretary Wes Streeting pledged to roll out specialist bone treatment clinics, the Royal Osteoporosis Society claims.

- David Williamson

Every day, it says, there are enough hip fracture patients on wards to fill two-and-a-half large hospitals around 4,170 people. And with 2,500 deaths from preventable fractures each year, this means 1,102 people have lost their lives since Mr Streeting made his pre-election promise last May.

He vowed that if Labour won the election, it would end the postcode lottery that sees some people missing out on a life-saving diagnosis of bone disease.

Only half of NHS trusts have specialist clinics, called fracture liaison services, that are vital for early detection and treatment of osteoporosis.