Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust has teamed-up with West Yorkshire's fire and rescue service for the 18-month scheme. All firefighters throughout Bradford and Airedale will be trained to identify, as part of their routine 'safe and well' checks, over-65s who could be at risk of falling.
Brigade crew members will offer fall-prevention advice, such as moving furniture or rugs which could cause a hazard, to people in their homes. And they will refer anyone deemed to be at risk to the care trust's district nursing team to receive extra help and support.
During the six-month trial, 80 people undertook a falls screening assessment to identify those at risk, and as a result 46 referrals were made to the nursing team.
Rachel Morris – the care trust's falls prevention nurse, who is delivering the training – said: "Over 25,000 people each year in the Bradford district have at least one fall. "Out of this number, 578 are admitted to hospital as a result of a hip fracture and 2,600 attend hospital due to a fracture generally. "By working together with West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, we are now able to identify vulnerable people who we might not be aware of and offer help and support to prevent falls which could result in a serious injury or hospital stay."
Among those referred to the nurses during the pilot was an 84-year-old woman not previously known to the trust. She was found to have a condition called postural hypotension, which meant that if she stood-up too quickly her blood pressure would drop and she would become dizzy or light-headed. She subsequently received medication and attended balance and exercise classes.
Jo Corbett, of the trust's Silsden district nursing team, said following referrals it looked in depth at any factors that could cause a fall. Chris Kirby, area manager for fire safety with the West Yorkshire brigade, said: "When firefighters visit people in their homes for safe and well checks across Bradford and Airedale, they will also give basic advice on falls and see which people could be at risk. "We can identify issues at an early stage, which can reduce the likelihood of people being admitted to hospital by putting preventative measures in place.