Government Admits No Plan for Bone Clinics Rollout

Sunday, June 14, 2026

The UK government has admitted it does not have a detailed plan or set milestones to achieve nationwide rollout of fracture liaison services (FLS) for osteoporosis by 2030. This raises concerns from health advocates, as 24 NHS trusts still need to establish clinics and delays may jeopardize efforts to reduce preventable fractures and related deaths.

The UK government has acknowledged that it currently lacks a detailed plan to meet its commitment to roll out fracture liaison services (FLS) nationwide by 2030, a programme intended to improve screening and treatment for osteoporosis patients. The announcement follows mounting concerns from health advocacy groups about the slow progress in establishing these clinics, which are designed to reduce the risk of life-threatening fractures.

In 2021, then Health Secretary Wes Streeting pledged that the introduction of FLS would be a priority early in his tenure and that the service would achieve full coverage across all NHS trusts by 2030. However, analysis from the Royal Osteoporosis Society indicates that despite this promise, no new clinics have been launched since the last general election. To attain full national coverage, 24 NHS trusts still need to set up FLS clinics.

Addressing parliamentary questions, Baroness Merron, a health minister, confirmed that the government has not established annual milestones for rolling out the services. Since his appointment last month, the current Health Secretary, James Murray, has not publicly addressed the FLS programme or responded to the Royal Osteoporosis Society’s requests for meetings.

Osteoporosis affects nearly 3.5 million people across the UK, predominantly post-menopausal women, and weakens bones, increasing the risk of fractures. The Royal Osteoporosis Society estimates that approximately 2,500 deaths annually are linked to complications from avoidable hip fractures. The society, which has campaigned alongside media partners for the full NHS rollout of FLS over the past two years, warned that immediate action is required to meet the 2030 deadline.

Craig Jones, chief executive of the Royal Osteoporosis Society, expressed concern that the absence of a structured plan and set milestones places the government’s commitment at serious risk. “To have any hope of rolling out these clinics to every area by 2030, work would need to start immediately. So it’s incredibly worrying to learn no milestones have been set and there doesn’t seem to be any plan in place to make progress. It’s clear this policy is in serious trouble,” he said.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care reiterated the government’s ongoing commitment to the FLS rollout, as outlined in its 10 Year Health Plan and the Women’s Health Strategy. They also highlighted investments in diagnostic equipment, noting the addition of 20 new state-of-the-art DEXA scanners this year, following the deployment of 13 last year.

Despite these assurances, the lack of a concrete plan and progress on ground-level service implementation continues to raise doubts among healthcare advocates about the government's ability to fulfill its osteoporosis service expansion goals within the proposed timeframe.