Labour MPs ‘betray patients’ after voting against their on pledge to create new life-saving brittle bone clinics
Labour MPs have been criticised for failing to back their own pledge to create 59 new life-saving brittle bone clinics by 2030.
MPs voted against a proposed law change that would have required ministers to publish a plan to deliver the long-promised rollout of specialist osteoporosis clinics across England.
Osteoporosis affects more than 3.5 million people in the UK, nearly two-thirds of whom are women. Many do not realise they have the condition until they break a bone.
Charities say more early detection centres could save the NHS millions as well as saving thousands of lives.
The Royal Osteoporosis Society (ROS) estimates 2,500 people die every year from the debilitating effects of preventable hip fractures.
Following a campaign by the charity and The Mail on Sunday, Labour pledged before the last election to end the postcode lottery in osteoporosis care by delivering fracture liaison services (FLS) across England by 2030.
During a House of Lords debate, health minister Baroness Merron claimed the fact that 23 of England’s 25 newly reconfigured integrated care board areas now contain at least one FLS is evidence that the rollout is well under way. Yet the ROS says 97 per cent of the services were inherited from the Conservative Government and accused ministers of using ‘highly misleading’ data to support their claim.
While in opposition, Labour described the lack of FLS sites as ‘a betrayal of patients’, yet analysis shows that since they came to power there has been a net increase of only two clinics. The ROS also said comments by the minister suggested decisions about future provision would be left to local NHS bodies. It says at the current rate the Government will hit its target not by the 2030 deadline, but in 2064.
The Royal Osteoporosis Society (ROS) estimates 2,500 people die every year from the debilitating effects of preventable hip fractures
The society’s outgoing chief executive, Craig Jones, has said: ‘Ministers have promised this rollout 85 times, but a pledge on paper saves no lives at all.’
Conservative health spokesman Dr Caroline Johnson said: ‘Patients deserve more than repeated promises without action.
‘The Government should get delivery back on track so these vital services can diagnose and treat people before a fracture turns their life upside-down.
‘As The Mail on Sunday has highlighted, every delay carries a real human cost.’
