This year the National Osteoporosis Society is 25. Its senior communications officer, Rob Dawson, takes a look at the charity’s history and achievements.
In
1986 few people had heard of osteo- porosis and there were no national
campaigns to raise awareness of the dis- ease and the steps that can be taken to prevent it. Life for those affected by osteo- porosis was tough, especially in terms of diagnosis. Patients were only identified as having osteoporosis if they were fortunate enough to have a doctor with a specific in- terest in the disease.
The National Osteoporosis Society was set up in 1986 when doctors at the Royal Na- tional Hospital for Rheumatic Disease in Bath realised that people were worryingly unaware of osteoporosis. Twenty five years later, we are providing a lifeline for the mil- lions of people across the UK affected by debilitating fragile bones.
Key achievements
The National Osteoporosis Society has been the major driver in raising awareness of fragile bones and ensuring research and health policy gives bone fragility the atten- tion it deserves.
Today there are various types of bone- protecting treatments and the majority of these have been developed in the lifetime of the charity; the first bisphosphonate treatment for osteoporosis was launched in the early 1990s.
The charity has worked hard, and contin- ues to do so, to ensure that there is national guidance on the use of these treatments and that people across the UK are given fair access. Today’s treatments have been shown to reduce the risk of broken bones
TIMELINE
1988: The charity holds its first major conference for health pro- fessionals in the UK.
1993: The charity develops its first education pack for schools helping people to build stronger bones.
1998: The first government strat- egy on osteoporosis is launched,
following years of lobbying.
2000: The charity launches “It could happen to you” television advert to raise the profile of frag- ile bones.
2001: Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall is made President of the National Os- teoporosis Society in October in
80 | national health executive Jul/Aug 11
recognition of her tireless work on behalf of people with osteo- porosis and the charity.
2006: 20th anniversary: Her
Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall marks the occasion by visiting the charity headquarters to bury a time capsule detailing the future hopes for those with osteoporosis.
2007: 24,000 people signed our petition to call on the Prime Min- ister to review government guid- ance which recommends only one treatment, which a quarter of people are unable to take.
2011: The helpline team cel- ebrate having helped 100,000 enquirers since records began in 2003.
by up to 50%; for vertebral fractures risk is reduced by 70%.
Providing practical guidance and emo- tional support is a key part of our work and this year our helpline celebrated answering over 100,000 calls for help, information and support. Raising awareness has also been a big success story.
The charity’s first major television appear- ance in 1992 was a huge step towards this, as 10 million people tuned in to TV-am to hear discussions about the impact of osteo- porosis and preventative measures.
Improving services has been another high- light and we awarded a £3m donation from the Grand Lodge of the Mark Master Masons to 14 NHS Trusts in England and Wales, to help them improve their bone health and scanning services.
To date the National Osteoporosis Society has raised nearly £3m towards ground- breaking research projects. In any one year, as many as 14 ongoing research projects re- ceive funding from the National Osteopo- rosis Society. We are funding research into falls and injury prevention, genetics and osteoporosis in men.
What next?
There is still a clear and urgent need to im- prove the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care of people at risk of fractures from fragile bones. Currently, only one in ten older women who have suffered a broken bone is given an appropriate bone scan to test for osteoporosis. For older men the fig-
ure is a mere one in 50. Only 19% of people going to hospital with a broken spine, wrist or rib are on appropriate bone medication three months later. Without urgent action, hip fracture rates are set to rise by 57% in the next 25 years.
‘For a breakfree future’ is our ambitious campaign to change the future for people with fragile bones. We want to eradicate unnecessary broken bones, saving thou- sands of lives and helping people to live their lives without pain and disability. Part of this campaign involves campaigning vigorously for better services locally and across the UK.
We want a co-ordinated fracture preven- tion service in every hospital that receives people with broken bones. This type of ser- vice is proven to save lives and money. By responding to a first fracture, further frac- tures can be prevented. Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) are internationally recog- nised as the most effective way of prevent- ing broken bones in older people.
The Department of Health has estimated that FLSs could achieve £8.5m in net cost savings for the NHS in England over a five-year
period.
The charity hopes that over the next 25 years, universal ac- cess to these services will be a reality.
Rob Dawson FOR MORE INFORMATION
T: 0845 450 0230 W:
www.nos.org.uk
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