Stop Falling Before it Starts

‘Stop falling before it starts’. Increasing access to multifactorial falls and fracture risk assessment and intervention for older people at risk of falls or early in their falls career via proactive case finding

Project lead: Dr Fiona Shaw (Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust)

Falls and fractures are a common and serious health issue faced by older people. For the NHS Newcastle Gateshead CCG population there are well established multifactorial falls prevention services which include exercise provision in secondary care, and some patchy exercise provision in the community. There is however a gap in service provision for older people who are more physically able and no service for basic risk assessment of people who have less complex health needs. The purpose of this project is to evaluate a service model to proactively identify older people at risk of falls or early in their falls career to offer multifactorial falls and fracture risk assessment and intervention. Intervention will include evidence based strength and balance exercise classes designed for more physically able older people held in community venues commissioned as part of this project.

The project is a collaboration between Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, NHS Newcastle Gateshead CCG, the AHSN NENC Falls and Fractures Programme and the Patient Safety Collaborative Programme. The exercise classes are provided by a 3rd sector community partner – HealthWORKS Newcastle, and Public Health commissioned Sports and Leisure Services.

Outcome data will include identified falls risks, interventions advised and implemented, fracture risk management, effectiveness of the exercise programme using proxy falls risk measures and patient rated outcomes, numbers requiring full secondary care falls risk assessment and costs of different components of service delivery. These data will be used to inform future commissioning decisions and will be shared via a variety of channels including the Q initiative and the AHSN and PSC Networks.

Results

The poster below was displayed at the British Geriatric Society Autumn 2019 meeting and shows ‘Increasing access to multifactorial falls and fracture risk assessment and intervention for older people at risk of falls or early in their falls career via proactive case finding.

Poster