Fracture Liaison Service

Suffolk GP Federation manages various community services in alliance with East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, Suffolk County Council and Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust.

Fracture Liaison Service

The Fracture and Falls Prevention service, made up of a small team of specialist clinicians, engage in pro-active case finding of all fragility fractures in patients over the age of 50 that attend West Suffolk Hospital via the Emergency Department and/or inpatients.

All patients will be offered a falls and bone health assessment with onwards referrals as appropriate.

Opening Times

Monday to Friday: 8am-5pm

Appointment Information

West Suffolk Hospital refer all patients with a fracture over the age of 50yrs on a monthly basis to the specialist nurses via a nhs.net account. These patients are clinically triaged by the Specialist Nurses to identify patients that have sustained a fragility fracture as a result of a fall. The service provides a mixture of telephone and home visit appointments to offer a falls and bone health assessment.

Locations

This service is available to all patients that are registered with a West Suffolk GP practice.

Fracture Liaison Services

https://youtu.be/kyYd_HOhKF0

The above YouTube link explains what to expect from a Fracture Liaison Service and why assessment is necessary.

West Suffolk has a community-based Fracture Liaison Service which receives referrals from West Suffolk Hospital of patients over the age of 50yrs, who have sustained a low trauma fracture.

It is a preventative service that offers a falls and bone health assessment to identify future falls risks and to reduce future risk of fractures. Onwards referrals to other services such as GP and physiotherapy will be made if required.

The Royal Osteoporosis Society has 4 short videos explaining:

What is Osteoporosis?
How is Osteoporosis diagnosed?
How do you treat osteoporosis?
How do I keep my bones healthy?

https://theros.org.uk/information-and-support/osteoporosis/newly-diagnosed/

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a health condition that weakens bones, making them fragile and more likely to break. It develops slowly over several years and is often only diagnosed when a fall or sudden impact causes a bone to break (fracture).

As bones lose strength, they become vulnerable to a break after a minor bump or fall. These are often referred to as fragility fractures. A broken bone and a fracture are both the same.

Osteoporosis and broken bones have several known risk factors, which cause bones to lose strength. Some do this by reducing how much bone tissue your body makes and repairs, known as bone density. Others influence how strong your bone tissue is.

Understanding your risk factors for osteoporosis and broken bones can help you identify if there’s anything you can change. Remember, it’s never too late to start taking action for your bones – even after a diagnosis.

For further information on osteoporosis go to:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/osteoporosis

https://theros.org.uk/information-and-support/osteoporosis/newly-diagnosed/

Assessments

A fracture risk assessment test (FRAX) is used to build up a picture of your overall bone health and future risk of breaking a bone and the results of this assessment helps formulate your individual management plan.

https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/FRAX

Bone Density Scans:

A bone density scan uses low-dose X-rays to see how dense (or strong) your bones are. You may also hear it called a DXA scan. Bone density scans are often used to diagnose or assess the risk of osteoporosis.

Bone density is measured using a dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) Scanner. This is a low dose of x-rays. A DXA scan takes approx. 20mins, it is not unpleasant. It isn’t a ‘tube or a tunnel’ and you don’t need any injections or preparations beforehand. You lie on a couch with your legs resting on a cushion.

For further information on Bone Density Scans go to:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dexa-scan

https://theros.org.uk/information-and-support/osteoporosis/scans-tests-and-results/

Medication for Osteoporosis:

The following link has full information as to why and when treatment is recommended and the type of treatment available.

http://theros.org.uk/information-and-support/osteoporosis/treatment/

https://nhs.uk/conditions/osteoporosis/treatment/

Diet:

https://theros.org.uk/information-and-support/osteoporosis/nutrition-for-bones/

https://nhs.uk/conditions/osteoporosis/prevention/

https://theros.org.uk/information-and-support/bone-health/vitamin-d-for-bones/

CALCIUM – Calcium Calculator | International Osteoporosis Foundation