Will the Cabinet Secretary confirm whether the commitments in the written statement published on 24 February 2024 regarding services to prevent osteoporotic fractures still apply, despite slower progress than expected on their implementation across health boards?
The Welsh Government is committed to supporting people living with bone health conditions in Wales and improving provision for people with osteoporosis.
Last year, I made a commitment to achieving 100% coverage of fracture liaison services across Wales by September 2024, and this commitment remains.
We have made a lot of good progress in this area, supported by £1m from the Six Goals Programme for Urgent and Emergency Care and the Welsh Value in Health Centre to develop fracture liaison services in areas where there currently is no service, and to support the expansion of existing services.
In 2022, only three Welsh health boards were registered and providing mandatory audit data on the fracture liaison service database. Today, all six health boards with district general hospitals are registered. Although each health board may be at different stages of developing their fracture liaison services and coverage may currently differ from one area to another, it is important to recognise they are on a long-term journey and are striving to develop and improve their fracture liaison service provision. Our commitment to provide100% coverage is just the start – fracture liaison services development and expansion will be an ongoing project.