Providing improved access to Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) could save health and social care costs of over £600m in five years, research has found.

According to the latest analysis from the Royal Osteoporosis Society, 48,568 fractures could be prevented in five years if gaps in the current coverage of services were filled in, and if the broader quality of services was boosted.

This would include over 15,062 hip fractures, which are known to have ‘the most devastating consequences and the greatest cost to health and care services’. As a result, 338,579 acute day beds would be freed up in NHS hospitals.

The research found that the changes could create savings of roughly £605m in the first five years through reduced strain on health and social care providers.

It also revealed that providing universal access to high-quality FLS across England would prevent 74,000 fractures (and 31,000 hip fractures) in the same period, allowing for the release of 750,000 hospital bed days.

The findings read: ‘The case for delivering services that follow established FLS principles reach far beyond the NHS. It also benefits local authorities, care providers and unpaid carers because preventing fractures keeps people mobile, independent and out of residential care.’

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Ruth Wakeman, Director of Services, Influencing and Innovation at the Royal Osteoporosis Society, said: ‘The Prime Minister is absolutely right to want to transform social care, he is looking for ways to save money in the NHS to help pay for it, and here is one staring us in the face.

‘We’ve already got a Government promise to make fracture prevention services available to everyone by 2030, we want to work with Health Secretary Yvette Cooper to get it done.

‘It’s a chance to save hundreds of millions of pounds and, more importantly, help people stay independent and enjoy their later years.’

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: ‘We know osteoporosis can have a devastating impact on people's health, independence and quality of life.

‘That's why our 10 Year Health Plan committed to rolling out fracture liaison services across England by 2030. We are also investing in 20 new state-of-the-art DEXA scanners, building on the 13 already being rolled out.

‘These new machines will help diagnose fragile bones earlier and prevent painful, life-changing fractures - particularly among older people and women, who are disproportionately affected by osteoporosis.’