All-Party Parliamentary Osteoporosis Group report ‘Falling Short’
In 2004, the All-Party Parliamentary Osteoporosis Group (APPOG) published a report ‘Falling Short: Delivering Integrated Falls and Osteoporosis Services in England' in collaboration with the National Osteoporosis Society. The report evaluated progress of primary care organisations in implementing osteoporosis services in line with the National Service Framework for Older People milestones.
It found that less than half of England's NHS organisations were ready to tackle osteoporosis and falls among older people. The report uncovered a worrying lack of priority - and even lack of understanding - among healthcare providers about what osteoporosis services entail.
Although Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) had made progress with initiatives to prevent falls, these efforts were not reflected with osteoporosis prevention. If services are to be effective in decreasing the number of broken bones among older people they need to be designed so that the impact, as well as the number, of falls is reduced.
The report included a 10-point action plan and a helpful diagram ‘Requirements of an osteoporosis service’ which aimed to help PCTs implement services. The report also called for osteoporosis to be included in the Quality and Outcomes Framework.
For more information on this report, click here.