The Orthogeriatric Service is a specialist service that provides:
- geriatrician assistance in the care of older adults under orthopaedic teams with a view to assisting in optimising peri-operative care
- assessment of appropriate patients for transfer to rehabilitation wards
- lead multidisciplinary team of allied staff and orthopaedic house surgeons participating in discharge planning of older adults and provide liaison with rehabilitation services.
- A ‘falls and osteoporosis’ clinic allows a process for assessing and treating patients with recurrent falls, osteoporosis and fractures.
- Bone Density Service - find information about this service here
- Fracture Liaison Service
The Fracture Liaison Service works with people over the age of 50 who have suffered a fragility fracture (low impact bone break) e.g. a broken bone following a fall from standing height. The aim of the service is to prevent any further fractures. The most common fragility fractures are fractures of the hip, wrist, shoulder or spine and are commonly caused by Osteoporosis (brittle or fragile bones). The service is run by a coordinator whose role is to identify patients presenting with fragility fracture and arrange investigation, falls clinic referral and follow-up required. The coordinator will follow these people by phone for up to 6 months to ensure any required treatment has been started and is continuing as appropriate.
The orthogeriatric team currently consists of two SMOs, one registrar and one orthogeriatric coordinator.