More people surviving hip fracture in the UK due to improved care

Increasing numbers of people are surviving after hip fracture, says The National Hip Fracture Database 2014 report, and it’s down to better care.
The average 30 day death rate for hip fracture patients in 2013 dropped to 8.05%, improving on the 2011-12 figure of 8.1%. It might sound like a small difference, but it translates to 300 fewer people dying.
Improvements are because of faster time taken to get patients to theatre and access to orthogeriatric specialists. More patients (71.7%) are getting to theatre on the day of admission or the day after for surgery. Similarly, more patients (81.6%) now have access to an orthogeriatrician, compared with only 25% of patients in 2009.
“This report shows how outcomes for older patients with frailty can be improved when hospital specialists work together with experts in the care of older people to deliver care in a timely and co-ordinated fashion,” explains Dr Adam Gordon, Honorary Secretary of the British Geriatrics Society.
“In addition, the collation of data through the National Hip Fracture Database has allowed us to show year-on-year improvements in care, which ensure that these services will be protected within a cash-strapped NHS. The British Geriatrics Society hopes that the lessons learned from hip fracture care can be extended to other medical and surgical specialties caring for older people in the near future.”