NHS Osteoporosis Patients 'Abandoned' After Text Message Diagnoses, Inquiry Reveals
A damning parliamentary inquiry has exposed systemic failures in how the NHS treats osteoporosis, with patients reportedly being diagnosed via text message and then effectively "forgotten" by the healthcare system. The findings highlight what experts describe as a "deep, structural failure" in managing a condition that affects millions across the United Kingdom.
Widespread Patient Neglect and Fragmented Care
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on osteoporosis and bone health has published a new report revealing that only 34 per cent of eligible patients receive medication to prevent fractures. The inquiry, which included a survey of 3,363 patients and Freedom of Information data, found that more than half of patients had not been contacted by a healthcare professional about their condition in the past year. Alarmingly, almost one in four patients (23 per cent) had not received any contact in over three years.
Fewer than a third of patients (30 per cent) expressed satisfaction with how their osteoporosis is monitored by the NHS, with significant disparities between deprived areas (28 per cent satisfaction) and wealthier regions (50 per cent satisfaction). The report identified a "particularly troubling" theme of abandonment felt by many osteoporosis patients due to the lack of clinical ownership of their condition.
Diagnosis by Text and Lack of Follow-Up
Personal testimonies collected by MPs paint a disturbing picture of patient experiences. One 63-year-old patient named Julie revealed that her previous GP gave her an "osteoporosis diagnosis by text" and then advised her to "check the internet for information." Another patient, 62-year-old Sarah diagnosed in 2025, received her diagnosis over the phone from a clinical pharmacist without any in-depth advice about managing her condition.
"No-one took the time to discuss my situation," Sarah told the inquiry. "In contrast, my asthma is controlled and I have reviews every 12 months." This sentiment was echoed throughout the report, with 28 per cent of patients who have osteoporosis alongside another long-term condition such as asthma, diabetes or heart disease reporting they felt better supported with their other condition.
Systemic Gaps and Infrastructure Failures
The research uncovered significant structural problems within the healthcare system. Half of all integrated care boards and health boards have no defined osteoporosis care pathway connecting hospitals and primary care. This fragmentation contributes to what the APPG describes as "systemic gaps that contribute to the widespread undertreatment of osteoporosis," with two thirds of eligible people missing out on treatment that could prevent broken bones.
MP Sonia Kumar, chair of the APPG on osteoporosis and bone health, stated: "Care is usually fragmented and confusing for osteoporosis patients, leaving far too many people abandoned to manage their condition alone and risking lifelong disability. Right now, care is reactive rather than preventative. Most people are diagnosed only after a fracture, which is failing patients and costing the NHS huge sums of wasted money. This is not just a clinical failure – it's a health emergency."
Human Impact and Health Inequalities
Osteoporosis weakens bones, making them fragile and susceptible to breaks from minor incidents such as falls, coughs or sneezes. The condition affects more than 3.5 million people in the UK. Lord Black, co-chair of the APPG, described the inquiry's findings as "truly shocking," adding: "Too many patients with osteoporosis are discharged from hospital after painful and preventable fractures without follow-up and left to navigate a complex condition alone. The result is fear, confusion, poor adherence to otherwise effective medicines, repeated fractures and widening health inequalities."
Calls for Urgent Reform and Recommendations
The APPG has issued several recommendations to address the crisis, including developing new care pathways to prevent patients falling through the cracks and creating personalised management plans for every person with osteoporosis. The group is also calling for new bone health questions to be added to the NHS Health Check for people over 40.
Craig Jones, chief executive of the Royal Osteoporosis Society, emphasized the scale of the problem: "What this inquiry lays bare is not a niche problem, but a deep, structural failure in how the NHS treats a condition affecting millions. Being diagnosed by text and then effectively forgotten is not care, it is abandonment. Osteoporosis is a serious long-term condition, yet patients are denied the basic services routinely offered for asthma, diabetes or heart disease."
Jones continued: "The consequences are predictable. People fall through the cracks, fractures spiral, lives shrink and many patients die before their time. With excellent drug therapies already available, this report must mark the moment we get on top of this problem. The cost of inaction is measured not just in broken bones, but in lost independence, avoidable deaths and mounting pressure on the NHS."
The inquiry highlights the urgent need for a "bold, population-wide approach" powered by technology and proactive risk checks that could transform outcomes, save lives and reduce costs for the healthcare system.
