UHBW ranked best in the country for drop in fall-related hospital admissions

The number of people over the age of 65, who are admitted to University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) due to a fall, has decreased by 25 per cent thanks to a series of joint initiatives from health organisations across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG).

The Community Emergency Medicine Service (CEMS), commissioned through UHBW, places a senior Emergency Medicine clinician on a rapid response vehicle alongside a SWAST paramedic. The service focusses on patients who would otherwise be admitted to hospital and enables more people to be treated in the community.

In its first year, the service saved 2,600 bed days and £1.1 million across the system.

Sirona care & health’s urgent care response team (UCR) also attend patients who have fallen in their home and Sirona, UHBW and North Bristol NHS Trust all provide staff for NHS@Home’s frailty service which cares for patients virtually after a fall.

University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) has now seen the biggest decrease in fall-related hospital admissions in the UK, dropping from 1,308 in 2022 to 976 in 2024.

Simon Laing, UHBW consultant and medical lead for CEMS said: “Often when falls happen in the over-65s ambulances are called as a precaution, or because it is too difficult to move the patient without the help of the paramedics.

“Being on the scene means we can assess the older person, in the same way we would at triage in one of our emergency departments and offer the same treatment and advice immediately.”

Preventing falls in the community is also a contributing factor to the reduction in admissions.

Sirona’s Specialist Falls Service and Care Home Support Team have introduced several initiatives to help people reduce their risk of falls and has trained large numbers of care home staff, carers and members of the public across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire to respond appropriately when someone has fallen.

Donna Thomas, Sirona’s Clinical Operations Lead for Frailty, Falls and the Care Home Teams, said: “It’s fantastic we are seeing the benefits of the work we have been doing within the community, promoting self-care and being proactive to reduce falls risks. Initiatives including supplying lifting equipment and training for care homes, have resulted in increased staff confidence to manage those who fall in the community.

“We have worked with teams in Sirona and system partners to train large numbers of staff to assess people after a fall, to help them to get back up if they can, or to call for the right support if needed. These initiatives are giving staff and carers the training and resources they need to respond appropriately and reduce ambulance callouts and hospital admissions.”

UHBW has also seen improvements in post-fall care, for people who have been admitted to hospital after a fall.

Activity co-ordinators are helping people remain or return to being, active and independent after a fall with a variety of activities which can be done on the ward during their stay.

UHBW colleagues are also carrying out assessments as soon as possible following admission, so patients who are at risk of a fall can be identified and offered fall prevention advice.

Sarah Dodds, Director of Nursing for UHBW said: “We know that being in hospital for any length of time when you are over-65 can have a significant impact on your independence. At UHBW we are carrying out several initiatives through our Active Hospitals Programme to help older people stay active, especially if they have had or are at risk of a fall.”

Raising awareness among the older population across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire is a key part of Sirona’s Specialist Falls Service.

The service has developed a falls awareness pack to enable people to assess their own risk and receive prevention guidance. This includes the Start Today Exercise Programme (STEP) which encourages people to move more to reduce their risk of falls. The programme has been published nationally and adopted by local hospitals, GPs and organisations across the local area. All of these resources are available on the Sirona care & health website for anyone worried about having falls risks.

Clinicians from the Falls Service also regularly visit organisations such as memory cafes, carers groups, Women’s Institutes and Alzheimer’s Society meetings to talk about falls prevention and risk assessment, introduce the chair-based exercise programme, STEP, and show people how to get up safely after a fall. A health and care system-wide falls webpage has been created to, provide a one stop shop to support people avoiding trips and falls through various preventative methods. This webpage offers information about community-based exercise classes that are available across local communities and advice on keeping homes free of common hazards that could result in injury.

The information has been produced by clinicians and specialists using evidence-based research. Further information includes advice and support for people who have fallen and signposts to partner organisations who can provide additional advice.

This resource has been developed to coincide with the Every Move Matters campaign and launched during Falls Prevention Week to raise awareness of the importance of physical activity to increase and maintain mobility to reduce falls.

Isobel Clements, Proactive Care Mobilisation Manager, at the NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board said: “We’re really pleased that fewer

people are going to hospital because of falls in Bristol and Weston-super-Mare. We will continue the work we are doing in Healthier Together, our health and care partnership, and hope this keeps improving.

“We hope the Falls & Falls Prevention webpage helps people find exercise and activity classes nearby, learn simple ways to avoid tripping or falling, and build strength and confidence in our day-to-day life.”