PRESS RELEASE
March 2015
Fracture prevention project could help save millions
The NHS could make substantial savings in the future thanks to an innovative pilot project aimed at
reducing the number of people suffering fractures.
Bone fractures affect millions of people across the UK with 1 in 2 women and 1 in 5 men over the
age of 50 suffering from themi. The cost of fragility fractures place a substantial economic burden
on the health and social care system with the costs of fragility fractures in the region of £2.3bnii.
These pressures on the NHS are expected to continue as increased rates of falls, and the
associated consequences, are expected to rise as the population ages.
However, a pilot project based in Northumberland has identified an innovative process to help
reduce the number of fragility fractures by adopting an early intervention approach.
The Improving Bone Health and Falls Prevention project worked with a group of GP practices to
test a system which uses an audit tool to identify registered patients at risk of fragility fractures –
which are often linked to osteoporosis - allowing doctors to offer preventative advice or treatment.
The project was led by Hadrian Primary Care Alliance in partnership with ProStrakan, Interface
Clinical Services and the Academic Health Science Network for the North East and North Cumbria
(AHSN NENC).
Hadrian Primary Care Alliance is a federation of 13 GP practices in West Northumberland, a rural
area with a population of 78,000 where more than 1 in 4 residents are over 65.
The pilot, which was rolled out last year, is estimated to have saved almost £175,000 in future
hospitalisation and follow up care costs associated with hip fractures. The project is part of a
significant programme of fractures prevention work being undertaken at the AHSN NENC.
Jill Mitchell, the fractures programme lead, said: “The significance of this project extends far
beyond West Northumberland. This is just one small area, the programme can be rolled out across
any GP practice or federation throughout the UK to help make even greater savings to the NHS on
a large scale.”
An audit and review of registered patients was undertaken across all 13 GP practices with the
support of a pharmacist who was employed to help each practice to identify patients at risk of
falling – such as the elderly - and those who have had a fall or fracture in the past to make sure
they have been treated according to guidelines.
GPs were presented with the results of the review and they then decided how best to progress
each case, whether it be through further tests, review of current medication, offering other
treatment options, or providing patient information and guidance.
Jill added: “It’s a simple and straightforward process that utilises existing information to deliver
proactive care and potentially reduce the need for further treatment down the line, which is
beneficial both for healthcare commissioners and providers but, more importantly, improves the
approach to patient safety.
“The focus of this process is to identify and engage with patients early on. It’s about patient
education and promoting ageing well, living well and promoting dietary supplements so people can
live healthier lives and hopefully reduce their risk of fractures in future.”
It is now hoped that the project will be adopted by other federations of GP practices allowing for a
larger scale population benefit in coming years. The same audit process can also be applied to
other healthcare areas such COPD or stroke prevention.
Dr Emily Hadaway, GP Partner at Haydon Bridge and Allendale Medical Practice – a member
practice of Hadrian Primary Care Alliance - which was involved in the pilot, said: “This project was
immensely useful for my practice to ensure we were identifying all the patients at risk of
osteoporosis and treating them appropriately with calcium and vitamin D therapy. It was well
organised and managed and the pharmacists from Clinical Interface Services were knowledgeable
and efficient.
“There was an appropriate amount of involvement from clinical staff from the practice. We were
able to oversee the findings of the audit and we made the ultimate decisions about which
medications to prescribe to which patients and offer any health promotion advice.
“The project also allowed us to review and improve our Quality and Outcomes Framework targets
for osteoporosis.
“The health benefits to the patients are not immediately apparent but there is a wealth of evidence
to show that calcium and vitamin D deficiency contributes to the development of osteoporosis.
Therefore ensuring our patients are replete in calcium and vitamin D reduces their fracture risk.
This will have huge long term benefits to our patients as the morbidity and mortality which is known
to follow osteoporotic hip fractures is well recognised. The long-term benefits to the health
economy of the NHS also need to be acknowledged.”
Hadrian Primary Care Alliance received £20,400 from the AHSN NENC, an organisation dedicated
to improving the health of the population and economic growth within the region, which funded the
development and testing of the project across the 13 GP practices.
Seamus O’Neill, Chief Executive Officer, AHSN NENC, said: “Promoting patient safety is a key
area for the AHSN in the region and this project is fully aligned with our priorities as it is centered
on maximising the quality of service to patients. Following the success of this pilot we are now
looking for other groups of practices who would like to take part in the roll-out and extension of this
project.”
Any CCGs or federations of GP practices who are interested in collaborating on this project, can
contact Jill Mitchell, AHSN NENC’s Fractures Programme Lead at jill.mitchell@ahsn-nenc.org.uk
ENDS
Editor’s note:
Projected financial benefit of the review: The long-term projected financial benefit of the project is
£174,520.60. This projection estimate is based on data regarding the cost of hospitalisation and follow up
care associated with a hip fractureiii and assumptions based on numbers needed to treat data and the cost
of prescribing over 3.5 yearsiv. This excludes social care costs.
The Academic Health Science Network for North East and North Cumbria (AHSN NENC) is committed
to improving both the health and economic prosperity of the region though innovation and through
dissemination of best practice.
Key aims for the Network over the next five years will be to improve patient care and population health
outcomes and to create wealth and stimulate engagement with industry to promote economic growth.
For further information, please contact:
The AHSN NENC has already embarked on a number of programmes of work:
•
Almost £1m invested in partnerships with local SMEs to drive growth
•
Secured an additional £900k ERDF funding to provide support to SMEs
•
Significant investment in University and Trust Technology transfer programmes and an NHS
Innovation Scout Scheme
•
Provision of £2m funding for projects designed to disseminate best practice and make a
demonstrable impact on health outcomes
•
Secured significant matched funding for investments from partner organisations such as Health
Education North East, the NIHR Clinical Research Network, the Strategic Clinical Networks and the
Local Area Teams
For further information, please contact:
Kirstie Taylor, AHSN NENC, Room 2.13, Biomedical Research Building, The Campus for Ageing and
Vitality, Nuns' Moor Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 5PL, Tel: +44 (0) 191 208 1329, E-mail:
Kirstie.taylor@ahsn-nenc.org.uk, web: www.ahsn-nenc.org.uk
To find out more about the AHSN NENC’s Fractures Programme, please visit http://www.ahsnnenc.org.uk/project_type/fractures/
i
International Osteoporosis Foundation (Van Staa TP, Dennison EM, Leufkens HG, Cooper C (2001)
Epidemiology of fractures in England and Wales. Bone 29:517)
ii
National Osteoporosis Society (TORGERSON, D., IGELESIAS, C. and REID, D.M., The economics of
fracture prevention. In - The Effective Management of Osteoporosis. edited by Barlow DH, Francis RM
and Miles A. 2001, p. 111-121 - Figures updated using mid-2007 population data and the Hospital and
Community Health Services (HCHS) pay and price inflation 2006-07)
iii
J.Kanis, Treatment of established osteoporosis: a systematic review and cost utility analysis. Health
Technology Assessment 2002
iv
Tang et al, Use of calcium or calcium in combination with vitamin D supplementation to prevent
fractures and bone loss in people aged 50 years and older: a meta-analysis 2007.