Managing falls in care homes

Staff from Staffordshire County Council, Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Stoke-on-Trent Clinical Commissioning Group and the North Staffordshire Clinical Commissioning Group, have pooled resources to reduce the risk and incidence of falls among vulnerable people living in nursing homes.

Falls related injuries are among the most serious and common medical problems experienced by older adults, often resulting in loss of confidence and independence, fractures, head injuries and occasionally death.

Preventing falls, their frequency and impact is a key task for the health and social care organisations.

Work with care home providers entails identifying the potential for falls in their homes, and introducing assistive technology to help manage risk.

This includes the Wireless Alarm Kit with Large Bed Leaving Sensor Mat, which immediately alerts carers via a portable wireless pager as soon as the person has left their bed.

Equipment has been installed in the homes free of charge    

Contact: Sharon Finney, Commissioning Manager, North Staffordshire Clinical Commissioning Group, telephone: 0845 6026772 ext 1639, email: Sharon.finney@northstaffordshire.nhs.uk .