A Southern health service designed to helps older adults
in Otago and Southland stay independent and out of hospital
from falls and fractures is punching above its weight
nationally.

The publicly-funded Southern Fracture
Liaison Service (FLS), delivered by local primary health
organisation (PHO) WellSouth, works with people aged 50 plus
who have had a fragility fracture to help them regain
strength and avoid further falls, which lead to a sharp
decline in health.

Looking back across the last three
years in the recently released Australia New Zealand
Fragility Fracture Registry Annual Report, the Southern FLS
supported 553 patients in Otago and Southland in 2022-2023.
In the 2024-2025 financial year, that number reached 881, a
59% increase over three years. Nationally, this places the
Southern FLS well above the national average of +27%, and
third highest across New Zealand Aotearoa, after Mid Central
(+159%) and West Coast (+73%).

Last year, the Southern
service also achieved Gold status through the International
Osteoporosis Foundation’s Capture the Fracture® programme,
the highest international benchmark for fracture prevention

Dr Richard Macharg, Clinical Lead of the
Southern FLS, says the service is designed to interrupt a
chain of decline after the very first

“Fractures, even those that seem small,
can be the warning signs of more serious consequences,” he

“When identified and managed appropriately,
osteoporosis and falls risk can be addressed and we can then
help avert the pain, long-term disability and potentially
life-threatening consequences of a major

For many older people, a fragility fracture
is the start of a rapid decline. Approximately 50% of all
people with hip fractures have had a previous fracture. A
hip fracture often means surgery, prolonged hospitalisation,
and for many people a permanent loss of independence, for
example moving out of the family home, relying on others,
thereby withdrawing from community life. As a result,
mortality risk increases.

Worldwide, one in three
women and one in five men aged 50 and over will suffer a
fragility fracture as a result of osteoporosis. Read a local
example below.

The report also shows that the Southern
service stands out nationally for its Strength and Balance
referral and engagement rates, one of the strongest
performances across all 22 FLS areas in New Zealand. The
Falls and Fracture Prevention team at WellSouth supports
patients, engages them with community Strength and Balance
classes and, when necessary, provides in-home exercise
programmes to reduce falls risk and help older people stay
strong and independent.

In the South, the service’s
reach continues to grow. The team recently secured access to
public hospital radiology reporting data — a three-year
advocacy effort — enabling identification of vertebral
fragility fractures that would previously have gone

Modelling by Osteoporosis New Zealand
predicts that over the next three years, the Southern FLS
could reduce up to 1,200 bed days in Dunedin and Southland
hospitals combined — capacity freed at a time when the New
Dunedin Hospital is being built and the population is

Dr Macharg also chairs Te Waipounamu Falls and
Fragility Fracture Prevention Coalition, the first coalition
of its kind in New Zealand, bringing together health,
community, and sector partners across Te Waipounamu to
extend prevention upstream.

“Te Waipounamu is a leader
in reducing falls and preventing injuries before they occur
through a coordinated, people-centred prevention approach.
We focus on equity, functional independence, and delivering
the right care to the right person, at the right place and
time,” says Dr Macharg.

You can read about the
ANZFFR in the 2026 ANZFFR Annual Report is available at https://fragilityfracture.co.nz/publications/

study: A Dunedin family and why fracture risk runs across
generations

The 2026 ANZFFR Annual Report features
the story of Dunedin mother Marilyn Chettleburgh, 79, and
her daughter Linda Dingley, 58 — both now patients of the
Southern FLS. Marilyn had lived with an osteoporosis
diagnosis for 15 years before fracturing a bone in her neck,
then her pelvis. After her second fracture she was
identified and supported by the WellSouth Fracture Liaison
Service. It was during a routine follow-up phone call that
Linda happened to mention she had also recently broken her
wrist walking her dog, an injury that had been slow to heal
but had not prompted anyone to question why. She was
referred for a DXA scan, which confirmed she also had
osteoporosis.

“I knew Mum and my aunty had it, but I
never thought it would happen to me,” Linda says.

I’d known that having a family history put me in a
higher-risk category, I might have taken more
precautions.”

Both women are now actively managing
their bone health. Their story is a reminder that fracture
risk does not stop with one person — and that a well-timed
call from a trained FLS coordinator can change the
trajectory of a whole family.

About the Southern
Fracture Liaison Service

The Southern Fracture
Liaison Service is delivered by WellSouth Primary Health
Network across Otago and Southland. It identifies people
aged 50 and older who have sustained a fragility fracture,
assesses their bone health and falls risk, and coordinates a
care plan to prevent further fractures. Established in 2015
and funded by ACC with support from Osteoporosis New
Zealand, the service holds International Osteoporosis
Foundation Gold service provider

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Original source: nz