Patients with hip fractures in Suffolk and north Essex face some of the best treatment in the UK amid concerns of a postcode lottery of care.

The University of Bristol revealed its latest study on patients treated with hip fractures in hospitals across England and Wales between April 2016 and March 2019, before disruptions caused by the pandemic.

Each year in the UK, more than 70,000 older adults are admitted to hospitals with hip fractures.

The study shows that the average length of hospital stay is just 12 days in some hospitals, compared with 42 days in others.

During this period, patients spent an average of 18.5 days at Ipswich Hospital, 15 days at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, 17.5 days at Colchester General Hospital and 16.5 days at West Suffolk Hospital.

The national average was 21 days.

Celia Gregson, professor in clinical epidemiology in the Musculoskeletal Research Unit at the University of Bristol and chief investigator of the study, said: “Patients should be able to expect to receive the same, high-quality care if they break their hip, irrespective of where they live or which hospital they attend."

The study, funded by the charity Versus Arthritis, revealed that 7.3% of patients with hip fractures died within 30 days and 15.3% were readmitted in the month after their fracture.

Readmission figures for East of England hospitals for the 2016 to 2019 period showed 9.5% of patients from Ipswich Hospital, 28% of patients from Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, 8.5% of patients from Colchester General Hospital and 7% of patients from West Suffolk Hospital were readmitted.

Considering hospitals in the East of England in the last two years, 68% of patients at Ipswich Hospital were admitted to the orthopaedic ward within 4 hours.

Only 11% of patients were admitted to Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital within 4 hours, as well as 37.5% of patients from West Suffolk Hospital, while the rates at Colchester General Hospital dropped from 65% in 2020 to 25% in 2021.

Deborah Alsina, chief executive at Versus Arthritis said: “The findings show that older people have a high chance of dying in the weeks after breaking a hip, and that whether or not they survive varies enormously between NHS hospitals in England and Wales.

“Hip fractures mainly affect older people, many of whom live with multiple long-term conditions, and quality of care for people with hip fractures is a key indicator of whether we’re getting older people’s care right in general. This research suggests we are not.”