One-third of people aged 65 and over experience a fall each year, which costs an estimated £4.4 billion annually to the health and care system and can lead to disability and premature death.
Effective fall prevention must be key in promoting healthy ageing and reducing demand for health and care services. Exercise can reduce falls by 23%, and a comprehensive assessment and action plan can reduce falls in care homes by 43%. These not only reduce demand for health and social care services and are cost-effective, but also improve the overall well-being of older adults at risk of falls. Unfortunately, due to short-term funding, workforce challenges, and a lack of cross-sector collaboration (and many more factors), large-scale adoption and implementation of fall prevention programmes is slow.
NIHR Applied Research Collaborations South West Peninsula and Wessex, in partnership with Health Innovation Wessex, have created: ‘Strengthening Community-Based Falls Prevention in England: Evidence Review and Policy Recommendations.’ This document outlines key recommendations to scale effective programmes and improve workforce capacity to ensure their sustainability, based on current research, aiming to alleviate pressure on the health and care system.
Implementing effective programmes by local services into practice can be aided by the adoption of key recommendations suggested below:
For Commissioners
- Cross-Sector Collaboration
- Sustainable Funding Models
For Implementation
- Seamless Care Pathways
- Quality Monitoring and Leadership
- Adopt Digital Tools and Hybrid Models
- Strategic Implementation
For Improving of Falls Prevention and Management
- Workforce Training
- Public Awareness and Engagement
- Community and Older Adult Engagement
Professor Vicki Goodwin, Professor of Ageing and Rehabilitation with NIHR PenARC and University of Exeter said:
“We have evidence of what can reduce falls amongst older people which can help save the NHS money and improve older people’s lives. The challenge is all parts of the system working together to ensure these evidence-based programmes are available and accessible to older people who need them ”
Despite their implications and regularity, falls are not an inevitable part of ageing, and they are preventable. Research and evidence show that programmes are both clinically and cost-effective and can be implemented at a low cost.