Broken bones caused by osteoporosis cost British economy more than £142 million in Labour's first year in power
Broken bones caused by osteoporosis have cost the British economy more than £142 million in Labour's first year in power, according to new research.
A further 660,000 work days were estimated to have been lost due to sickness absence.
Campaigners say the figures, taken from independent research commissioned by the Royal Osteoporosis Society (ROS), are just one indicator of the toll osteoporosis is taking on the UK economy.
The ROS is calling for Health Secretary Wes Streeting to deliver on his promise to improve osteoporosis services in his forthcoming NHS 10-Year Plan, set to be announced next month.
Osteoporosis – suffered by 3.5 million people in the UK – causes bones in the body to lose strength and break more easily.
The condition can be devastatingly painful, cause permanent disabilities and reduce patients' independence, causing 500,000 broken bones every year in the UK.
Half of all women and around a fifth of men over 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis.
Now, new figures from the ONS on sickness absences show that musculoskeletal conditions – including osteoporosis – are the biggest single contributor of overall work days lost.
The percentage of sickness absence caused by these health problems has increased every year since 2022.
Mr Streeting pledged to tackle the crisis last year, promising to end the postcode lottery for early diagnostic centres for osteoporosis.
Called Fracture Liaison Services (FLS), these sites triage and treat patients suspected to have the condition. Yet only half of NHS trusts in England currently have an FLS.
Mr Streeting has repeatedly pledged to roll universal FLS to all parts of England by 2030 – a move that campaigners hope will be cemented in his 10-Year Plan for the Health Service.
Craig Jones, chief executive at the Royal Osteoporosis Society, said: 'Economic growth is rightly at the centre of the Government's mission.
'Britain is alone in seeing a sharp rise in worklessness since the pandemic, with musculoskeletal conditions like osteoporosis among the leading reasons for experienced older workers being forced into sickness and carer's absence.
'Early diagnosis of osteoporosis through Fracture Liaison Services will help prevent worklessness, and we hope the 10-Year Plan will include the rollout plan Wes Streeting has talked about so inspiringly.'
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