On Friday 17th May 2024, I was pleased to attend the launch of the new Fracture Liaison Service at Southend Hospital and I very much enjoyed chatting with patients who will benefit from this amazing facility being right on their doorstep here in Southend.
Residents in mid and south Essex will benefit from a fracture service where hospitals and GPs work together across the whole of mid and south Essex.
The new Fracture Liaison Service (FLS) aims to strengthen bones in those aged over 50, reduce fractures and free up hospital beds.
The service identifies eligible residents who have suffered a fracture and offers them checks by nurses in hospital for osteoporosis (fragile bones). Patients are then treated with bone medication or referred to services such as physiotherapy to reduce their risk of falling again.
There are 70,000 residents over the age of 50 with osteoporosis in mid and south Essex, leading to 8-10,000 fractures each year. Across the UK it is estimated that there are 3.5million living with the condition.
This FLS is the first of its kind in the UK with Southend leading the way in specialist health care and possessing the ability to spot signs of osteoporosis early on in patients who suffer repeated fractures.
It’s always a great pleasure to see Consultant Rheumatologist Dr Wong who was instrumental in setting up this brilliant service and I’m delighted that my constituents will get rapidly assessed by fracture experts and be advised on future treatments without having to go specialist hospitals further away.
