Fracture Liaison Service provision

The request was successful.

Dear Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust,

The Royal Osteoporosis Society is undertaking a Freedom of Information Act (FOI) request of all Trusts, Health Boards and Health and Social Care Trusts, with the aim of assessing the number of Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) that exist across the UK and the delivery of these services.

Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) systematically identify people aged 50 and older who have had a 'fragility fracture', with the aim of reducing their risk of further fractures.

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Osteoporosis and Bone Health have agreed to conduct an Inquiry into access to Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) across England. To support the early work of the group, Parliamentarians have asked for a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to be circulated to all commissioners and service providers in England to better understand current FLS provision and levels of variation across the country.

Data will be used to identify how we can target future resources to ensure that all patients at risk of secondary fragility fractures and osteoporosis have access to and are referred to a FLS for further bone health assessment.

We really appreciate your help with this, especially as we understand the pressures that healthcare services are currently experiencing. Please pass the questions below on to your Fracture Liaison Service or if this is not possible, please pass on to your osteoporosis clinical lead or musculo-skeletal lead for them to complete.

We ask that you please indicate your answer by marking with an “X” next to any answers that apply or by deleting all answers that do not apply. Please avoid answering by italics, underlining or bold, as these do not show up when we process your response.

Yours faithfully,

Craig Jones, Chief Executive, Royal Osteoporosis Society

1. Do your patients over 50 years old have access to a Fracture Liaison Service (FLS)?
a. Yes
b. No commissioned FLS but pathway for bone health management of fracture patients
c. No commissioned FLS and no pathway for bone health management of fracture patients

If you answered ‘no’ (b or c) please move on to question 15.

2. Is your FLS based in secondary care?
a. Yes
b. No

3. For 2019, what percentage of people over 50 with a fracture were offered access to a FLS?
a. (please specify:)

4. For 2019, what percentage of people referred to FLS received an assessment within 12 weeks of fracture diagnosis?
a. (please specify:)

5. For 2019, for those patients receiving osteoporosis drug treatment what percentage were reviewed for follow up 16 weeks from fracture?
a. (please specify:)

6. For 2019, For those patients receiving osteoporosis drug treatment what percentage were reviewed for follow up 52 weeks from fracture?
a. (please specify:)

7. For 2020, what percentage of people over 50 with a fracture were offered access to a FLS?
a. (please specify:)

8. For 2020, what percentage of people referred to FLS received an assessment within 12 weeks of fracture diagnosis?
a. (please specify:)

9. For 2020, for those patients receiving osteoporosis drug treatment what percentage were reviewed for follow up 16 weeks from fracture?
a. (please specify:)

10. For 2020, For those patients receiving osteoporosis drug treatment what percentage were reviewed for follow up 52 weeks from fracture?
a. (please specify:)

11. Is this a permanent service funded by a sustainable source? (e.g., commissioning, health board/trust funded)
a. Yes
b. No
c. partially (please specify:)

12. Do you take part in a national FLS audit? (e.g. FLS-DB)
a. Yes
b. No

13. Please state the name and contact details of the Clinical Lead for this service
a. (please specify)

14. Are there any areas of support you would like further information/support from the ROS? E.g., Clinical Standards, KPIs, Service Improvement / Patient Information etc
a. (please specify:)

For those that answered ‘no’ to having an FLS (question 1).

15. What are the reasons you do not have an FLS, or access to an FLS for your patients?
a. (please specify:)

16. Have you tried to establish a FLS previously?
a. Yes
b. No
c. We are in the process of developing a FLS

17. What has been the barrier/obstacles to implementing a FLS?
a. (Please specify:)

18. If you have not tried to establish a FLS previously, why not?
a. (Please specify)

19. Do you have an osteoporosis service?
a. Yes
b. No

20. Do you have a DXA (bone density scanning) service?
a. Yes
b. No

21. Please state the name and contact details of the Clinical Leads for osteoporosis, rheumatology or musculo-skeletal, services
a. (please specify)

22. Are there any areas of support around FLS that you would like further information/support on from the ROS? E.g. patient info, Clinical Standards, KPIs, Service Improvement / Patient Information etc
a) (please specify)

SWBH-GM-FOIREQUESTS (SANDWELL AND WEST BIRMINGHAM HOSPITALS NHS TRUST), Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust

Dear Craig,

Freedom of Information Request F21/0090

Thank you for your freedom of information request received on 18 May 2021.

Your request will now be considered in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000. You will receive a response within the statutory timescale of 20 working days after the date of receipt as defined by the Act, subject to the information not being exempt or containing a reference to a third party. In some circumstances we may be unable to achieve this deadline. If this is likely you will be informed and given a revised timescale at the earliest opportunity.

In some cases there may be a fee payable for the retrieval, collation and provision of the information you request. If this is the case you will be informed and the 20 working day timescale will be suspended until we receive payment from you. If you choose not to make payment then your request will remain unanswered.

Some requests may also require either full or partial transference to another public authority in order to answer your query in the fullest possible way. Again, you will be informed if this is the case.
Your request for information may be delayed due to urgent operational responses to dealing with Public Health priorities.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause, we do remain committed to responding to your request and will respond as soon as we are able.

Trust's across the country have refocused resources to assist frontline staff to combat Covid-19 during this difficult period. The Trust will not be in a position to respond to certain FOI requests due to the increasing operational pressures.

Please could you confirm whether you still wish to have this processed as an FOI request, in light of the already burdensome situation on the NHS?

Thank you in advance of your support.

Kind regards

Freedom of Information Office
: [Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust request email]
+ Trust Headquarters, Health and Wellbeing Centre, Sandwell General
+ Hospital, Lyndon, West Bromwich B71 4HJ

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Dear SWBH-GM-FOIREQUESTS (SANDWELL AND WEST BIRMINGHAM HOSPITALS NHS TRUST),

Please can we have your response to the FOI request that was submitted on the 18th May 2021 and is now passed the 20 working days deadline?

Yours sincerely,

Steven Rowntree