The latest National Hip Fracture Database (NHFD) 2025 Annual Report, published by HQIP, shows a continued rise in hip fracture cases since the COVID-19 pandemic with over 71,800 cases recorded across England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2024. This represents a 6.2% increase compared to pre-pandemic levels and signals a growing demand on frailty and orthopaedic services.
Despite some encouraging progress in secondary prevention and survival rates, the report highlights persistent variation in care, particularly in timely access to surgery and weekend therapy provision.
Key Findings and Improvements:
- 71,885 hip fractures reported in 2024 – numbers expected to double by 2060.
- 94% of patients survive beyond 30 days post-fracture, continuing an improving trend.
- 56% of patients were on bone-strengthening medication four months after hip fracture (up from 43% pre-Call to Action).
- Hospitals providing weekend physiotherapy saw average length of stay reduce by 2.3 days, saving around £676 per patient.
Areas of Concern:
- Only 58% received surgery by the day after presentation (down from 68% in 2019).
- Delays in transfer to specialist wards and limited weekend physiotherapy remain significant issues.
- Continued variation between hospitals in meeting key Best Practice Tariff standards.
“While survival and secondary prevention have improved, delays in surgery and access to timely rehabilitation are still too common. We must continue to focus on early surgery, seven-day therapy provision and equitable care pathways if we are to improve outcomes and reduce costs for health systems,”
Read more: NHFD 2025 Annual Report
Hip Fracture Summit 2025 | Friday 19th June 2026 | Virtual Conference
In response to these findings, we are pleased to invite you to join the Hip Fracture Summit 2025 CPD certified conference. This important and timely event will focus on improving care for hip fracture patients, learning from the newly published NHFD findings, and improving progress against the Key Performance Indicators and NICE quality standard for hip fracture.
Find out more and book your place here: https://www.healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk/conferences-masterclasses/hip-fracture-summit