Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the (a) referral and (b) risk assessment criteria will be for referring women to women’s health hubs in order to access Fracture Liaison Services.

In July 2023 we announced that the £25 million investment in women’s health hubs is being distributed to every integrated care board (ICB), with each ICB receiving £595,000 in total over 2023/24 and 2024/25. ICBs have been asked to use the funding to establish or expand one women’s health hub, including working with their local authority commissioners and within their system.

It is important that services are provided in a way that best meets population needs and reduces health inequalities, and ICBs will determine which specific services their hub will offer. To support ICBs to establish women’s health hubs, we have published a cost-benefit analysis, and a core specification. The core specification sets out which services ICBs could consider incorporating into their hub model, either in terms of provision or signposting. Osteoporosis assessment and care, for example DEXA (bone density) scanning or fracture liaison services is included in the core specification as an area for consideration.

Further information on women’s health hubs was published on GOV.UK in July 2023 at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/womens-health-hubs