Health minister renews pledge on bone clinics

HEALTH Secretary Wes Streeting has renewed his pledge to the Sunday Express to end a postcode lottery that causes people to die early after chances to identify osteoporosis are missed.

- By David Williamson

The Government has doubled-down on its commitment to deliver specialist bone clinics across England by 2030 which will test people suffering a fracture for the potentially lethal bone disease.

Campaigners were dismayed when instructions to roll-out the clinics, called fracture liaison services, were not included in NHS planning guidance that sets priorities for the health service.

It fuelled fears Mr Streeting was rowing back on a pledge to the Sunday Express Better Bones campaign, in conjunction with the Royal Osteoporosis Society, to expand the use of FLS to every integrated care board in England and achieve 100% coverage by 2030.

But a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "We remain committed to rolling out FLS across every part of the country by 2030.