Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help improve (a) early diagnosis and (b) treatment of osteoporosis.

In July, we published the 10 Year Health Plan, which committed to rolling out Fracture Liaison Services across every part of the country by 2030. We have invested in 13 new bone density, or DEXA, scanners, which are expected to provide up to 29,000 extra scans per year to ensure people with bone conditions get diagnosed earlier.

We are also working to deliver the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) MSK Community Delivery Programme. GIRFT teams are working with integrated care board leaders to further reduce musculoskeletal community waiting times and improve data and metrics, and referral pathways to wider support services.

In the last three years, two new drugs have been recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for the treatment of osteoporosis in post-menopausal women, Abaloparatide and Romosozumab. These medications help to strengthen the bones and prevent bone loss, thereby reducing the risk of fractures.