Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timeline is for the opening of new Fracture Liaison Services in (a) Somerset and (b) the South West.

Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) are a globally recognised care model and can reduce the risk of refracture for people at risk of osteoporosis by up to 40%.

FLS are commissioned by integrated care boards (ICBs), which make decisions according to local need. This is the case for all ICBs in the South West, including the NHS Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire ICB and the NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB. We remain committed to rolling out FLS across every part of the country by 2030.

In the meantime, we are investing in 14 high-tech DEXA scanners, which are expected to provide an extra 29,000 scans to ensure that people with bone conditions get diagnosed earlier.