Victory for Better Bones - scanners rolled out across England in major NHS boost

The Sunday Express's Better Bones campaign has secured a major victory this week as the government announces the rollout of 13 state-of-the-art DEXA scanners across England - a crucial step in tackling the silent epidemic of osteoporosis and transforming bone health care for thousands.

In a huge win for our campaign, Health Secretary Wes Streeting has confirmed the delivery of 13 dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scanners to hospitals across the country - with 29,000 extra bone scans expected to be carried out every year.

Osteoporosis is a devastating but often hidden condition that weakens bones and causes tens of thousands of painful and life-altering fractures every year. One in three women and one in five men will suffer a fracture due to the condition in their lifetime - and in many cases, they don't even know they have it until it's too late.

The Better Bones campaign, launched by the Sunday Express in partnership with the Royal Osteoporosis Society, has been calling on the government to guarantee 100% access to Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) and invest in essential diagnostic tools like DEXA scanners. Today's announcement marks a crucial step forward.

Craig Jones, Chief Executive of the Royal Osteoporosis Society, hailed the news as a "huge boost" for patients. "This investment in scanners is really good news for people with osteoporosis," he said. "We want to thank Wes Streeting for ensuring bone scans are part of his package to modernise scanning technology so we can catch diseases like osteoporosis earlier. This, and the recent good news on waiting lists, gives us confidence the NHS is beginning to turn a corner."

Of the 13 new scanners, seven will be delivered to areas currently underserved by bone health services - including West Yorkshire and North East Lincolnshire - giving better access to patients in rural and deprived communities. The remaining six will replace outdated machines to increase reliability and capacity.

Patients in these regions have already started receiving invitations for appointments with the new scanners. Hospitals including Newark, Cranleigh, and Thame Community Hospital are among those set to benefit.

Clinical Lead for Women's Health at NHS England, Sue Mann, said the move was a "welcome targeted investment". She explained: "These scanners measure tiny reductions in bone density that can help us diagnose osteoporosis in its early stages - before you break a bone. They are key tools for prevention, particularly for some women who are known to be at higher risk of osteoporosis such as those who go through early menopause."

Today's announcement comes as part of the government's broader Plan for Change and Elective Recovery Plan to modernise the NHS and cut waiting lists. Over three million additional operations, scans and appointments have been delivered since June 2024, surpassing the original target of two million.

But while the scanner news is welcome, the Better Bones campaign is far from over.

We are still calling for:

• A government mandate that everyone over 50 is covered by a high-quality FLS.

• £30 million of annual investment to fill postcode gaps in osteoporosis care.

• A national Clinical Director for osteoporosis to lead systemic change.

Shockingly, just 51% of NHS trusts in England currently offer FLS - the gold standard service for identifying and managing patients who suffer a fragility fracture. That leaves 90,000 people each year at risk of missing out on the treatment they urgently need, simply because of where they live.

Scotland, Northern Ireland, and now Wales have all committed to 100% FLS coverage. England must follow suit.

Throughout our six-week campaign, the Sunday Express will continue to shine a spotlight on the millions living with fragile bones - sharing their stories, raising awareness, and demanding change. We'll be speaking to medical experts, campaigners, and real families navigating the consequences of untreated osteoporosis.

25 June 2023: Better Bones campaign launched with support of 100 Parliamentarians, and urged the Government to ensure 100 percent access to Fracture Liaison Services (FLS).

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July 2023: Seven Royal Medical Colleges, representing over 600,000 medics, support the campaign, along with the BMA, CBI, Federation of Small Businesses, TUC and Unite.

- July 2023: Felicity Kendal told how watching her mother "shrinking" made her a passionate campaigner. She is later joined by celebrities including Susan Hampshire, Diana Moran, Miriam Margolyes and Iain Dale.

- August 2023: 43 major charities joined the campaign and by September Association of Ambulance CEOs, St Johns Ambulance, Ambulance Staff Charity and Care England did too.

- October 2023: Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting backed the campaign, saying FLS are "better for patients, pressured hospitals, and taxpayers". The issue is debated in parliament.

- November 2023: The Chancellor's failure to provide additional funding for people with osteoporosis in his Autumn Statement despite promises is called "callous" by campaigners.

- April 2024: Then Health Secretary Victoria Atkins pledged to step up osteoporosis diagnosis and care, and praised the campaign. Wales announces more than £1million will be invested in FLS.

- 26 May 2024: The Sunday Express campaign won a landmark victory and secured a cross-party pledge to provide specialist clinics for all. Atkins announced all over-50s in England will have access to scans for osteoporosis by 2030 and Labour promised to match this if they won the election. At this point 271 parliamentarians and 52 powerful organisations back the campaign.

May 2024: As Labour's Shadow Health Secretary, Wes Streeting made ramping up FLS a key pre-election promise. He pledged to end the postcode lottery and roll out universal coverage of FLS by 2030.

- Sep 2024: As Health Secretary Wes Streeting doubled down on his pre-election pledge to end the postcode lottery and praised the "unmissable" Sunday Express Better Bones crusade.

Queen Camilla praised the campaign for putting osteoporosis "on the map" and presented an award to the paper.

February 2025: Mr Streeting went a step further when he told Parliament: "The Government is committed to rolling out fracture liaison services across every part of the country by 2030. I promised that before the election, and that is what we are delivering."