Members of the Inpatient Orthopaedic Unit at University Hospital participate in rounds.
June 19, 2026
For older adults, a hip fracture can be more than a broken bone. It can have long-term impacts to mobility, independence, and overall health, which can drastically alter quality of life. At London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC), a coordinated, team-based approach to care is helping to change that trajectory.
This spring, LHSC achieved an Orthogeriatric Certification from the Fragility Fracture Network (FFN), scoring in the excellence tier. As one of only two centres nation-wide to hold this designation, LHSC is one of the first hospitals in Canada to demonstrate delivery of an important standard in whole person care for older adults.
For the team behind the program, the recognition reflects years of work to transform how fragility fractures are treated.
A coordinated model of care
Orthogeriatric care is aimed at returning patients who have experienced a fragility fracture to an optimal state of overall health. The focus is on coordinated support across an individual’s entire hospital journey and beyond – from the Emergency Department to surgery and inpatient care, to discharge and rehabilitation.
At LHSC, that patient journey brings together orthopaedic surgeons, geriatricians, emergency medicine physicians, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers, and many others who play a role in the patient care continuum. The goal is to work together to ensure patients receive timely, high-quality evidence-based care at every stage.
From admission, patients are assessed for frailty and identified for specialized care. Teams prioritize timely access to surgery, improved pain management and early mobilization following surgery. As well, discharge planning begins early, with patients and their care partners actively involved at every turn in the decision-making process.
A framework for continuous improvement
The FFN certification provides a structured framework to evaluate programs across eight core areas, including early identification, clinical pathways, team-based care, education and secondary prevention.
For LHSC, this process validated that many best practices were already in place, while also identifying opportunities to further strengthen care.
Much of the progress made to date has been driven by a citywide hip fracture steering committee. Established in October 2024, the group brings together clinical and system leaders to align care for this patient population across the region.
“The certification confirms that we have been doing the right things and are moving in the right direction,” says Dr. Jenny Thain, Geriatrician and Geriatric Lead for the Hip Fracture Program at LHSC. “It also helps to provide us with a roadmap of where to go next.”
A key focus moving forward will be exploring how we can improve consistent access to rehabilitation therapy seven days a week, as well as continuing to enhance our current prevention strategies around falls reduction and osteoporosis management.
Collaboration at the core
A defining feature of LHSC’s approach is its emphasis on collaboration.
“Orthogeriatric care depends on breaking down some of the traditional silos you find in health care, particularly for patients who require support from multiple specialties,” says Dr. Thain. “I’m proud to be a clinician in an organization that brings all the different providers together, alongside experts in other key areas like quality improvement, to coordinate care and track outcomes. As a collective, we’re building pathways that allow us to more easily work together to better serve the needs of the patients and families we are caring for.”
Data plays a central role in this work, helping teams to monitor performance, identify gaps and drive improvements.
Leading the way in Canada
LHSC’s excellence designation – the highest of the three levels of certification – positions the organization as a national leader in orthogeriatric care.
Certification is renewed every three years, reinforcing a commitment to continuous quality improvement and sustained excellence. The team at LHSC is looking forward to continuing to achieve top performance in this area.