HL Deb 19 May 2004 vol 661 cc92-4WA
Earl Howe

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether, and if so how, the National Health Service Modernisation Agency's collaborative work, specifically in the area of osteoporosis, will be taken forward following the downsizing of the agency in April 2005. [HL2779]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner)

A number of strands of work undertaken by the NHS Modernisation Agency and the National Primary Care Development Team have impacted upon the area of osteoporosis. This work is linked to the delivery of the National Service Framework for Older Poeple, in particular Standard 6 on Falls: their prevention, improved diagnosis, care and treatment, rehabilitation and long-term support, leading to an integrated falls service by April 2005.

The Fractured Neck of Femur Programme, led by the Modernisation Agency, involved minimising delays, improving outcomes and improving patient focused care. A number of teams from the second Fractured Neck of Femur Programme championed work around osteoporosis management. That programme finished in March 2003, but the work has continued locally.

The National Falls Collaborative, run by the National Primary Care Development Team, was a service led approach to reducing falls and the impact of falls on individuals, services and the community. This programme completed in December 2003, and resulted in many excellent initiatives around hone health and reducing falls. The impact and learning is to be disseminated via the National Service Framework for Older People.

The Healthy Communities Collaborative is a community-led approach to reducing falls and integrating falls services within a geographical community. The Healthy Communities Collaborative is funded until March 2006 and will be taken forward by the National Primary Care Development Team.

By April 2005 the NHS Modernisation Agency will transfer most of its staff to modernisation within local settings. The Modernisation Agency will be succeeded by a new, smaller national organisation, which will preserve a strong central focus on modernisation and innovation in the NHS. The Modernisation Agency's devolved staff will be well placed to provide any necessary on-going support to the local services that will have been established.