Asked by: Baroness Altmann (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to comments by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health and Social Care in the Sunday Express on 20 August 2023, when they plan to publish details on ways to establish more fracture liaison services.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Fracture liaison services (FLS) are commissioned by integrated care boards which are well placed to make decisions according to local need. NHS England is supporting requests from health systems to introduce FLS and other secondary fracture prevention services, including through the Falls and Fragility Fracture Audit Programme.
The Government recognises the value of quality-assured secondary fracture prevention services, including Fracture Liaison Services. In the online-only Major Conditions Strategy: Case for change and our strategic framework, we set out that we will look to, together with NHS England, explore supporting the provision of fracture liaison services. The intention is to publish the Major Conditions Strategy early this year.
Asked by: Baroness Altmann (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ask the Royal Osteoporosis Society to establish ‘lived experience’ focus groups for people with Osteoporosis to inform their Major Conditions Strategy; and what plans they have to include the issue of bone fractures in the Strategy.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Major Conditions Strategy will look to tackle the six major condition groups including musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions. In August 2023, we set out our initial plans in the online-only Major Conditions Strategy:Case for change and our strategic framework including that we will look to, together with NHS England, explore supporting the provision of fracture liaison services.
There are no current plans to ask the Royal Osteoporosis Society to establish ‘lived experience’ focus groups for people with Osteoporosis. However, the Department has worked closely with stakeholders to develop the Major Conditions Strategy including people with lived experience and organisations representing patients, carers, and conditions. This includes engagement with the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance, an umbrella body bringing together patient organisations and professional bodies representing the breadth of MSK health. The development of the strategy has also been informed by the Call for Evidence, which received over 400 responses from both individuals and organisations. Our intention is to publish the Major Conditions Strategy early this year.
Asked by: Baroness Altmann (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the top five causes of (1) disability, and (2) premature death, in England; and how the NHS plans to mitigate or reduce each cause.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study provides a comprehensive picture of mortality and disability across countries, time, age, and sex. It quantifies health loss from hundreds of diseases, injuries, and risk factors, so that health systems can be improved and disparities eliminated.
According to the data for England published by the GBD study in 2019, the top 5 causes of years lived with disability for England were low back pain, diabetes, depressive disorders, headache disorders and falls.
Data for 2022 for England indicates that the five leading causes of death aged under 75 were cancers, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, deaths from external causes, and digestive system diseases.
On the 24 January 2023, we announced our plan to publish the Major Conditions Strategy. This strategy will explore how we can tackle the key drivers of ill-health in England, reduce pressure on the NHS and reduce ill-health related labour market inactivity.
To deliver on these objectives, the strategy will focus on tackling the six major conditions groups – cancers, mental ill-health, cardiovascular disease (including stroke and diabetes), dementia, chronic respiratory diseases, and musculoskeletal disorders – that account for around 60% of ill-health and early death in England.
Focusing on these groups of conditions that contribute most to mortality and morbidity will allow us to focus our efforts on the key actions needed to achieve our Levelling-Up mission to gain five extra years of Healthy Life Expectancy by 2035.
Asked by: Baroness Altmann (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the potential cost savings to (1) the NHS, and (2) employers, in the next 20 years as a result of early detection and treatment of osteoporosis.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have made no estimate of the potential cost savings to the National Health Service, and to employers, in the next 20 years as a result of early detection and treatment of osteoporosis.
Information on the number of working days lost each year that result from bone fractures is not available. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) Sickness absence in the United Kingdom labour market publication is produced from data collected from the Labour Force Survey; however, this survey does not specifically ask the question of sick days taken due to fractures.
A document is attached with tables showing, firstly, the number of deaths where bone fractures were the secondary cause of death, by broad age group and sex, registered between 2014 and 2023 in England and Wales; and secondly, the number of deaths involving bone fractures, by broad age group and sex, registered between 2014 and 2023 in England and Wales.
Government will continue to consider options for further work to support those with osteoporosis and at risk of fractures, including working together with NHS England to explore supporting the provision of fracture liaison service.
Asked by: Baroness Altmann (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimates they have made of the number of (1) deaths and (2) working days lost, each year that result from bone fractures among (a) women, and (b) men.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have made no estimate of the potential cost savings to the National Health Service, and to employers, in the next 20 years as a result of early detection and treatment of osteoporosis.
Information on the number of working days lost each year that result from bone fractures is not available. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) Sickness absence in the United Kingdom labour market publication is produced from data collected from the Labour Force Survey; however, this survey does not specifically ask the question of sick days taken due to fractures.
A document is attached with tables showing, firstly, the number of deaths where bone fractures were the secondary cause of death, by broad age group and sex, registered between 2014 and 2023 in England and Wales; and secondly, the number of deaths involving bone fractures, by broad age group and sex, registered between 2014 and 2023 in England and Wales.
Government will continue to consider options for further work to support those with osteoporosis and at risk of fractures, including working together with NHS England to explore supporting the provision of fracture liaison service.
Asked by: Baroness Altmann (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to announce funding for improved fracture liaison services across England to avoid a postcode lottery relating to early detection of osteoporosis.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) are commissioned by integrated care boards (ICBs) which are well placed to make decisions according to local need. NHS England is also supporting requests from health systems to introduce FLS and other secondary fracture prevention services, including through the Falls and Fragility Fracture Audit Programme.
On 24 January 2023, we announced our plan to publish the Major Conditions Strategy. This strategy will explore how we can tackle the key drivers of ill-health in England, reduce pressure on the National Health Service and reduce ill-health related labour market inactivity. The Strategy will focus on six major groups of conditions including musculoskeletal conditions, such as osteoporosis, and will be published early next year.
As stated in the Major Conditions Strategy: Case for change and our strategic framework, the Government will work together with NHS England to explore supporting the provision of fracture liaison services. The framework was published on GOV.UK on 21 August 2023 in an online-only format.
Asked by: Baroness Altmann (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to prioritise early detection of osteoporosis in older adults, especially women, and to enhance the timely diagnosis and treatment of people with osteoporosis, following ministerial commitments to do so.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 24 January 2023, we announced our plan to publish the Major Conditions Strategy. The Strategy will focus on six major groups of conditions, including musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders such as osteoporosis.
We have now published our initial report ‘Major conditions strategy: case for change and our strategic framework’, which is available on GOV.UK in an online-only format. It sets out what we have learned so far, and shares what we plan to focus on next to develop the final strategy.
For MSK conditions, it sets out that we will look to aim to improve services where medical treatment is necessary. Together with NHS England, we will explore supporting the further provision of fracture liaison services. This could include identifying people at risk of further osteoporotic fragility fracture and implementing strategies to reduce the risk of future fracture, including falls, and mortality.
Asked by: Baroness Altmann (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what information they hold about how aid money given to the Palestinian Authority in the 10 years is spent.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Following Official Development Assistance (ODA) prioritisation exercises undertaken in March 2021, the UK no longer provides direct financial aid to the Palestinian Authority. All UK support to the Palestinian Authority is provided through technical advice, procured through commercial suppliers.
The FCDO aid budget is allocated in accordance with UK strategic priorities against a challenging financial climate. There is a robust framework in place for allocating ODA. Data on ODA spend in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is available on DevTracker (https://devtracker.fcdo.gov.uk/countries/PS). More than 80 per cent of our ODA spend this year of UK support will be used to meet humanitarian need, or to provide vital health, education, and protection services for Palestinian Refugees.
Asked by: Baroness Altmann (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the breakdown of aid spend by Government departments to the Palestinian Authority in the past 10 years.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Following Official Development Assistance (ODA) prioritisation exercises undertaken in March 2021, the UK no longer provides direct financial aid to the Palestinian Authority. All UK support to the Palestinian Authority is provided through technical advice, procured through commercial suppliers.
The FCDO aid budget is allocated in accordance with UK strategic priorities against a challenging financial climate. There is a robust framework in place for allocating ODA. Data on ODA spend in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is available on DevTracker (https://devtracker.fcdo.gov.uk/countries/PS). More than 80 per cent of our ODA spend this year of UK support will be used to meet humanitarian need, or to provide vital health, education, and protection services for Palestinian Refugees.
Asked by: Baroness Altmann (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the change in value of the full basic state pension weekly payment in 2023–24 if it had been linked only to consumer price index inflation since 2010.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The full weekly amount of basic State Pension would have been worth £139.10 in 2023-24 if it had been uprated by inflation (CPI) since 2010.