2. Business Statement and Announcement

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:44 pm on 6 December 2022.

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Photo of Natasha Asghar Natasha Asghar Conservative 2:44, 6 December 2022

Minister, please may I request a statement from the Minister of health in relation to the fracture liaison service here in Wales? Osteoporosis—we often hear about it here in Chamber—which can cause bones to break from a cough or even so much as a hug from the grandchildren, affects more than 180,000 people in Wales and costs the UK health service a huge £4.6 billion a year. Tragically, as many people die from fracture-related causes as from lung cancer or, in fact, diabetes. However, a fracture liaison service can help transform the quality of life for older people in Wales and unlock some serious savings for our NHS. As it stands, only 66 per cent of people in Wales aged over 50 have access to a FLS, compared to 100 per cent of people in Scotland and Northern Ireland. This means that thousands of people in areas without coverage are having fractures fixed up and forgotten about without their underlying osteoporosis being diagnosed and treated, and I'd like to know, obviously—. Where FLSs are already in place, there is widespread underperformance with patient identification, monitoring and follow-ups. Extending services and raising the quality can free up 73,000 acute hospital beds and 16,500 rehabilitation bed days, estimated to be taken up by hip fracture patients over the next five years, as well as deliver huge savings, which I mentioned. So, a modest £2 million annual investment in raising the number and quality of fracture liaison services to cover everyone over 50 would deliver a £36 million return over five years. We have a real opportunity, Minister, here to improve the lives of thousands of people across Wales, and such savings, I'm sure, will be welcomed by the Welsh Government. Therefore, a statement from the health Minister about investing in this particular service would be greatly appreciated.