New tech to battle osteoporosis however Wes Streeting should maintain key pledge | Politics | News | EUROtoday

Health Secretary Wes Streeting saluted the Sunday Express’s Better Bones marketing campaign as he introduced the roll-out of 20 new bone scanners to make sure tens of hundreds of sufferers are handled for osteoporosis at an earlier stage. Campaigners welcomed the brand new expertise however urged him to go additional and ship on his pre-election pledge to finish a postcode lottery which implies round half of NHS trusts lack fundamental “fracture liaison services” to examine for the doubtless deadly illness when folks first present up with a break.

Mr Streeting insisted the scenario “has to change” as he introduced the brand new Dexa scanners, which the Department of Health and Social Care describes because the “gold standard for diagnosing osteoporosis and assessing fracture risk”.

He stated: “Too many women are suffering painful, preventable fractures because osteoporosis is diagnosed too late. That has to change. These new scanners will help thousands of patients get tested sooner, start treatment earlier and avoid the trauma of life-changing breaks. We are cutting waiting times and modernising the NHS so it works for patients – preventing illness where we can, and delivering care faster for those that need it most. I’m grateful to campaigners and to the Sunday Express for championing this issue and supporting action to improve bone health services.”

Lord Black, who co-chairs a cross-party group on osteoporosis and bone well being, stated: “New Dexa scanners are welcome. But these machines scan, they do not treat. “Without the right follow-up services, including medication, millions of people will continue to fall through the cracks. More than two million people across the UK are currently overlooked for treatment and left vulnerable to devastating fractures. That means avoidable hospital admissions, lost independence and, in too many cases, early death.”

He pressed for a “funded, time-bound national rollout plan for fracture liaison services”.

Shadow Health Secretary Stuart Andrew stated: “A scan does not prevent the next fracture; a fracture liaison service does. Diagnosis without treatment is not prevention.”

The funding covers six further scanners to increase capability and 14 substitute machines. It follows the announcement of 13 scanners final 12 months; greater than 16,000 further scanners had been delivered in 2025 in comparison with the earlier 12 months.

Lesley Kay, the NHS nationwide scientific director for musculoskeletal circumstances, stated: “Osteoporosis and other bone conditions can have a devastating effect on patients, so improving access to this specialist technology will make a real difference to people’s lives.”

Craig Jones, chief government of the Royal Osteoporosis Society, welcomed the brand new scanners, saying: “To ensure every scan leads to effective treatment and fracture prevention, it will now be vital to publish the implementation plan for nationwide fracture liaison services, so patients can move seamlessly from diagnosis to care.”