SOSFA Pre-Budget Submission 2022

As part of the SOS Fracture Alliance's ongoing advocacy for improved secondary fracture prevention in Australia, the Governing Committee made a submission for the health Portfolio as part of the 2022/23 Federal Budget.

In this submission we called for funding for three key actions:

Institute an Australian Clinical Care Standard for Secondary Fracture Prevention to support the delivery of appropriate clinical care for people who have suffered an osteoporotic fracture, reduce unwarranted variation in care, and promote shared decision making between patients, carers and clinicians.
Support the Australian Fragility Fracture Registry to allow for the nationwide monitoring of treatment and patient outcomes, using data-driven evidence to improve care for all Australians.
Implement cost-effective electronic case finding tools in radiology facilities to improve the identification of patients with osteoporotic fractures while reducing current time demand on healthcare workers.

We believe that funding these actions will to improve the lives of countless older Australians, including women and Indigenous populations who are at higher risk of fracture, and ensure those Australians remain healthy, independent and involved in the community longer. From a health economic perspective, implementation of these will reduce avoidable hospital, aged care and social service costs.

For more information, see the full submission below.