Bone health centre wins award for new service

The Metabolic Bone Centre at the Northern General Hospital has won the Osteoporosis – Pioneering Best Practice category of the awards.

It was nominated after changing the system used to assess patients. In this new system, patients who are thought to be at risk of osteoporosis undergo a measurement of bone density using equipment called a DXA scanner.

Depending on the result of the bone density scan they may also undergo further tests, such as a technique known as a vertebral fracture assessment scan. Patients may also need to have X-rays or blood tests. All of this now takes place within a single hospital appointment.

Nicola Peel, consultant physician and clinical lead at the Metabolic Bone Centre, said: "We are delighted that this service, which has proven very popular with our patients, has been recognised in this way.

"We believe we have developed a service that improves the quality of care that we offer and helps us identify as many people as possible who will benefit from osteoporosis treatment.

"We have been supported in this work by our colleagues in primary care and I thank all the staff in the Metabolic Bone Centre who have worked incredibly hard to enable the service to flourish."

A spokesman for Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust added: "Another benefit of the new service is that patients undergo a much more detailed assessment, giving more information about their bone health, and allowing bone-strengthening treatment to be targeted more effectively.

"The service has also meant that 95 per cent of patients can receive any treatment they require from their GP, with only five per cent needing to return to the hospital for further investigations.

"In the past, approximately 15 per cent of patients were called back

for further tests."