New kit helping to reduce impact of falls in Cheshire West

Fall prevention in Cheshire West

Health and social care partners in Cheshire West have been working collaboratively to prevent and reduce the number of people falling, sustaining serious injuries and being admitted to hospital after a fall.

This includes Voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) organisations, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service and North West Ambulance Service (NWAS).

Recently, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside has invested in ‘raisers’, which allow people who have sustained a fall to be lifted off the ground by one person.

These have been distributed to care community teams, the local urgent response service and care homes, and there are plans for raisers to be utilised by NWAS response cars and out-of-hours services who visit the homes of people who have had a fall.

This has had a positive impact on the NHS and patients by reducing hospital admissions, preventing incidents of serious harm, and improving health outcomes – particularly for older people who are at greater risk of falls.