Keighley MP Ann Cryer was part of an all-party meeting considering a national blueprint on the care of elderly people.

The All-Party Parliamentary Osteoporosis Interest Group met in the House of Commons to discuss the National Service Framework (NSF) for Older People.

The NSF, unveiled by Health Secretary Alan Milburn last month, enshrines standards and sets out ways of attaining these.

The National Osteoporosis Society (NOS) has warmly welcomed the initiative, which follows similar frameworks in place for victims of cancer, heart disease and mental illness. But the society stresses government funding is needed to implement it quickly.

NOS director Linda Edwards said: "The NSF is great news for the three million people with osteoporosis. This is not just guidance. It is a blueprint doctors must follow. It will help ensure early diagnosis, effective treatment and even prevention of this serious disease."

Osteoporosis makes bones porous and brittle, and affects one in three women and one in 12 men over 50. It is responsible for more deaths than cancer of the ovaries, cervix and uterus combined.

The NOS urged MPs to lobby for government funding, write to health authorities for information on local implementation plans, urge hospital chief executives to ensure doctors are aware of guidelines, and encourage constituents to obtain information and advice.

Bones can be kept strong and healthy through a balanced calcium-rich diet and exercise.