§ Rob MarrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to(a) raise public awareness of osteoporosis and (b) reduce the number of avoidable hip fractures. [169468]
§ Dr. LadymanA considerable amount of work is under way which will help to raise general awareness of osteoporosis, for example, The National Institute for Clinical Excellence is to develop two clinical guidelines and a technology appraisal to provide the best available evidence of what is effective in
the assessment and prevention of falls in older people;the assessment of fracture risk and the prevention of osteoporotic fractures in individuals at high risk; andthe prevention and treatment of osteoporosisThe clinical guideline on the assessment and prevention of falls in older people is currently out for consultation. Although osteoporosis does not cause falls it significantly increases the likelihood of a fracture when a fall happens.
The falls guideline will provide recommendations for good practice that are based on the best available evidence of clinical and cost effectiveness. It is due to be completed in August this year. A second clinical guideline has been commissioned to look at the assessment of fracture risk and the prevention of osteoporotic fractures in individuals at high risk.
We know it is the fractures which result from osteoporosis which can lead to pain, disability, greatly reduced quality of life and premature death. This guideline will look at all groups of people recognised to be at high risk of osteoporotic fracture. It will examine both interventions used to prevent an initial fracture and those used to prevent subsequent fractures where one has already occurred.
It will cover care from primary and secondary National Health Service healthcare professionals who have direct contact with and make decisions about the care of high risk individuals. It will look at areas where collaboration is needed between primary and secondary NHS services. Although it does not specifically cover areas outside the NHS, it will be relevant to practice in non-NHS residential and nursing homes, social services and the voluntary sector. This guideline will build on and where necessary extend the work already completed around osteoporosis. It is due to be completed in June 2005.
§ Rob MarrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what(a) number and (b) percentage of patients who suffered a hip fracture died as a consequence of the fracture in (i) 2001–02 and (ii) 2002–03. [169469]
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§ Dr. LadymanNumbers are not available on patients who die specifically from hip fractures. However there is information on the number of deaths with the main injury of hip fracture and also with an underlying cause of osteoporosis.
Information on the number of hospital episodes of patients admitted with hip fracture is shown in the tables.
Number of deaths with underlying cause of death of Osteoporosis1 persons, England and Wales 2001–02
Number of deaths 2001 11,542 2002 11,605 1 ICD-10 codes M80–M81 Number of deaths with main injury of Hip fracture1 persons, England and Wales 2001–02
Number of deaths 2001 2,214 2002 2,151 1 ICD-10 codes S72.0-S72.2 These two groups are mutually exclusive.
Count of finished admission episodes primary diagnosis hip fracture (ICD-10 diagnosis code S72)—NHS
NHS hospitals Finished admission episodes 2001–02 63,999 2002–03 70,508 Note:
Finished admission episodes—A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.
Source:
Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) Department of Health
Ungrossed Data:
Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (ie the data are ungrossed)