Preventing Falls In People With Learning Disabilities: Making Reasonable Adjustments

Read Government guidance here

Does Hospital Competition Reduce Rates Of Patient Harm In The English NHS?

Previous hospital mergers have reduced the number of distinct organisations offering publicly funded and provided care in the NHS, reducing choice and between-hospital competition in some areas. Read King's Blog here

Falls risk screening tools ‘not accurate’ new report warns

The Royal College of Physicians’ National Audit for Inpatient Falls assessed 5,000 falls, and shows that although prevention across England and Wales has improved slightly, many patients are not receiving the right assessments that can help prevent harm.

The audit reveals that since 2015, many trusts and Local Health Boards (LHBs) have stopped using ‘falls risk screening or prediction tools’ (a drop from 74 per cent in 2015 to 34 per cent).

NHS RightCare pathway: falls and fragility fractures

The latest NHS RightCare pathway on falls and fragility fractures pathway has been developed in collaboration with the national clinical director for musculoskeletal services, Public Health England (PHE), National Osteoporosis Society and a range of other stakeholders from across the health and care system. The pathway defines the key interlocking components for an optimal system for prevention and management, and the priority higher value interventions that systems should focus on to address variation, improve outcomes, reduce cost and contribute toward a sustainable NHS.

Colchester trust launches falls prevention film

Colchester Hospital University NHS Trust has created a 13-minute film to help patients recover from a fall and to minimise the risk of future falls.

NHS Wales awards Torfaen falls initiative

Torfaen’s falls service is the only one in Abertawe Bro Morgannwg Health Board to run exercise classes in which other organisations offer advice, said physiotherapist Karen Minton.

Integrated working is a key aspect of the falls service, not only with the ambulance service, but the fire service, meals on wheels, providers of assistive technology and charities, such as the National Osteoporosis Society.

The aims are twofold. First, representatives from these organisations are invited to speak at exercises classes to help people be aware of anything which may help them. Fire safety, is just one example.

CSP launches video to demonstrate six simple exercises to stop falls

A new CSP animated video demonstrates how six simple exercises can keep people mobile and independent as they age.

The animation shows how the six exercises – widely used by physiotherapists – can reverse this trend, strengthen muscles and improve balance. While the animation is targeted at the general public, particularly those aged 55 and over, it is also designed to be used by physiotherapists and other health professionals working with older patients.

Mid Yorks NHS Trust adopts physio-designed training to prevent falls

Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust has launched falls prevention training for staff which recreates real-life situations in allocated sections of actual wards and clinics.

The aim of the training is to reduce preventable falls and improve staff confidence in managing people who have fallen.

The incidence and costs of inpatient falls in hospitals

This review from NHS Improvement is based on existing evidence and data, and provides an overview of the scale of inpatient falls and the benefits to the NHS if the rate of falls was reduced in hospitals.

Falls in older people

Nice's Falls in Older People quality standard has been updated.

Falls And Fracture Consensus Statement: Supporting Commissioning For Prevention

This guidance was produced by the National Falls Prevention Coordination Group (NFPCG).  The guidance is aimed at local commissioning and strategic leads in England with a remit for falls, bone health and healthy ageing.

New bedside vision check tool to help prevent hospital inpatient falls

A new tool from the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), that enables ward staff to quickly assess a patient’s eyesight in order to help prevent them falling or tripping while in hospital, is being made available to Trusts and Local Health Boards in England and Wales from Monday 23 January 2017.

‘Look out! Bedside vision check for falls prevention’ is an innovatively designed guide which aims to support busy clinical staff assess visual impairment in older people. It uses a mixture of questions and visual aids to help doctors, nurses and therapists check eyesight at the patient’s bedside. Results give an indication of the extent of any visual problems, known or unknown, that the patient may have.

Preventing Patient Falls

This guide from Hospitals in Pursuit of Excellence describes the types of risks that lead to patient falls, the root causes for those risks and the solutions designed to reduce them. Several case studies in the guide highlight individual hospitals and their experiences preventing falls.

Evaluation Of An Intervention To Prevent Falls

This report from the RAND Corporation, and commissioned by the US Government, evaluates the effectiveness of an intervention designed to prevent falls in the elderly, with a particular focus on fall-related injuries and on health care costs. The researchers concluded that the intervention did not have a substantial effect on health care costs. Although they did not find evidence that the intervention reduced A&E visits for fall-related injuries, they cautioned that the study was underpowered for this outcome and that a clinically meaningful effect could have gone undetected.

New RCP advice aims to reduce inpatient injury from trips and falls

The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has produced Falls Prevention in Hospital: a Guide for Patients, their Families and Carers, a guide designed to help prevent serious injury and unnecessary cost to the NHS caused by older people tripping or falling when they are in hospital.

Aimed at older patients and their families and carers, the guide provides easy to follow advice on what patients and those in contact with them can do to help prevent inpatient falls.

CSP launches updated Falls Prevention Economic Model online

The latest version of the Falls Prevention Economic Model, with fresh data and research, is now live on the CSP’s website.

QTUG for assessing falls risk and frailty

NICE has developed a medtech innovation briefing (MIB) on the Quantitative Timed Up and Go (QTUG).

The technology described in this briefing is the Quantitative Timed Up and Go (QTUG). It uses body-worn sensors and a mobile software app to assess mobility, falls risk and frailty. It is used during the standard Timed Up and Go (TUG) test.