Patients are facing long waits for rehabilitation following hip fractures, a report has warned.
The audit, carried out by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists, found some patients were forced to wait for months before they could start treatment at home.
The report, which analysed the experiences of almost 6,000 patients, found that on average, patients have to wait just over two weeks.
But the longest wait recorded was of almost 90 days.
The CSP said that guidelines need to be set to ensure delivery of care is consistent across England and Wales.
The report said: ‘Therapist should ensure that their patients are able to continue uninterrupted rehabilitation when they return to their own homes.
‘On average patients waited 15.2 days, and in five units more than one month, to start therapy at home.’
Another report, also published last week, further highlighted shortcomings with post-fracture care.
The report from the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) said that ‘only 41% of patients who were prescribed anti-osteoporosis medication were monitored by 12-16 weeks post fracture’.
It also raised concern about variation in access to fracture liaison services across the country, arguing that patients were facing a postcode lottery.
National Osteoporosis Society chief executive Claire Severgini said: ‘Receiving great care should not depend on where you live and more work needs to be done in extending coverage of FLSs across the country.’
Around 536,000 suffer fragility fractures each year, with hip fractures alone costing £3.5bn in 2010 and expected to rise to £5.5bn by 2025.
