Written question asked by Baroness Coussins (Crossbench), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Earl Howe (Conservative) on Monday, 20 December 2010.

Health: Orthopaedics

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will guarantee funding for the national hip fracture database and the national programme of falls and bone health audits, carried out by the Royal College of Physicians, beyond 2011.

Answer: National clinical audit funding is managed by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership. We understand that the contract with the British Geriatric Society for the national hip fracture database ends on 31 March 2012. The contract with the Royal College of Physicians for the falls and bone health audit ends on 31 March 2011 and this will be extended by one year so that both contracts are aligned. No guarantees can be given about the outcome of a future competitive tendering process, but we hope the alignment of the two tendering processes will allow consideration of the synergies between the two audits and the opportunities for further development of the information they collect.

Secondary information