NHS Lanarkshire is keen to highlight ongoing efforts to keep the community safe as part of Falls Awareness Week.
Based at Coathill Hospital in Coatbridge, this small multi-disciplinary team cover all areas of Lanarkshire.
The team have both a clinical and strategic role, as well as supporting improvement work within the community.
This week, the specialist falls team will be working tirelessly to raise awareness through a range of actions to involve staff, patients and visitors.
This includes pop-up engagement sessions, community information stalls and staff training to support falls conversations and assessments.
The team are already making strides in reducing fall risks and have recently joined forces with the Active Wards steering group to incorporate their falls work and resources into the active wards programmes.
As one of the first dedicated falls services in Scotland, this pioneering team have been instrumental in shaping national falls strategy.
Nichola O’Donnell, who manages the falls team, explained: “We offer a comprehensive three-tiered approach to falls assessment.
“Level 1 identifies those who may have experienced a fall, are at risk of falling or have concerns about falling.
“Figures show that people who have had a conversation regarding their falls risk in the community (level 1) have a 67 per cent reduction in falls following their interventions.
“Level 2 provides a more detailed multifactorial assessment for individuals who may require additional assessment to address their unique fall’s needs; does the patient wear glasses and if so varifocal or bifocal? What footwear do they use?
“A lot of the time people are taking multiple medications which may increase a risk of falling so this would be screened as well as considering checking blood pressure and carrying out environmental assessments and checking for risks in the home.
“Can the patient get up after a fall? Do we need to assess to see if a community alarms or falls detector would be appropriate, so that if they fall it triggers an alarm to the call centre or a family member?”
The team also offer a level 3 assessment, carried out by the specialist falls team staff for individuals whose falls may be unexplained.
This provides a more in-depth evaluation looking for any underlying cause.
Through the team’s three-tiered system they aim to deliver the right level of care from basic, early risk identification and self-management resources through to specialist intervention.
Peter McCrossan, director for Allied Health Professions and the NHS Lanarkshire falls lead, added: “The NHS Lanarkshire Falls Strategy implementation has positively impacted our inpatient falls rate, which is now below the national rate and has improved over the last three years.”
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