At least 675 patients fall over daily on NHS wards

Some 675 patients have falls on NHS wards every day, a major national audit has found.

Many are preventable and caused by patients not having walking frames or being unsteady from medication.

Hospitals are also failing to give patients call bells to ensure they can summon staff without trying to get on their feet.

The audit, by the Royal College of Physicians, established that there were 246,425 falls on NHS wards in 2015/16 – and many hospitals and trusts were failing to take basic measures to prevent them.

More than half – 52 per cent – of the hospitals and trusts where falls occurred did not carry out medication reviews to ensure drugs were not making patients unsteady on their feet

More than half – 52 per cent – admitted they did not carry out medication reviews to ensure drugs were not making patients unsteady on their feet.

Another 29 per cent said they did not give patients walking aids when they were admitted, while 48 per cent did not check their vision. A further 81 per cent said they did not take patients’ blood pressure on admission. If it is low, patients are at higher risk of falls.

And 19 per cent – one in five – were failing to ensure call bells to summon staff were within patients’ reach. The average age of the patients was 80 and 55 per cent were women.

Falls can cause distress, pain, injuries such as fractures, loss of independence and even death, the report warns.

The health watchdog Nice has previously estimated that falls are costing the NHS at least £2.3billion a year – and 30 per cent are preventable.

Dr Shelagh O’Riordan, head of the Royal College of Physicians’ national audit of inpatient falls, said: ‘Our results show that although there are areas of really good care, and significant improvements have been made by some hospitals, many hospitals are still not doing everything they can to prevent falls.

‘I hope this audit can help clinical teams work towards reducing the number of falls currently happening in hospitals in England and Wales.’

The audit is based on figures from 138 hospital trusts, mental health organisations and community centres.

There were 246,425 falls on NHS wards in 2015/16, according to the Royal College of Physicians

There were 246,425 falls on NHS wards in 2015/16, according to the Royal College of Physicians

A total of 13 per cent didn’t check whether patients were wearing unsafe footwear such as worn out slippers or slip-on shoes. And 11 per cent weren’t ensuring that patients’ surroundings were free from ‘trip hazards’ such as loose bedding.

Dr O’Riordan added: ‘Research has shown that when staff such as doctors, nurses and therapists work as a team they can reduce falls by 20 to 30 per cent. 

‘Staff, patients and their families can also help by being aware of the risks and the actions they can take, for example, making sure they have their glasses to hand, their comfortable walking shoes are available and they can reach their walking aid, if required.’

Caroline Abrahams, of charity Age UK, said: ‘For an older person a serious fall in hospital can slow their recovery at best and threaten their survival at worst, so everything possible needs to be done to prevent them and keep older patients safe.

‘The right assessments, conducted on admission, are a crucial component in preventing falls among older people and it is worrying that so many hospitals are not carrying them out in a timely manner or sometimes at all.’

 

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