Specialist care for patients who are at risk of falling or who have had a fall.
What does the service provide?
The falls prevention service provides specialist care for patients who are at risk of falling or who have had a fall. We will provide support and care to maximise your independence and minimise your risk of falling in the future.
Assessment
The team will visit you in your own home, or residential care home, to carry out an assessment that will usually last around 1 hour. During the assessment we will discuss:
- Your falls history
- Your general health (past and present)
- What medications you are currently taking
- What goals you would like to achieve
We will assess your mobility, balance and muscle strength and consider all the main risk factors associated with falls. We will also carry out a home hazards assessment.
The frequency and number of follow up appointments required will be decided by the team based on your clinical needs.
We may also invite you to come to one of our Falls Awareness sessions.
Treatment
Following the outcome of your assessment, a number of the following steps may be taken. These could include:
- Referral to our ‘Better Balance’ class at Redhill YMCA, which is a 10 week course of balance and strength exercises.
- A home exercise programme. This helps to prevent further falls so it is important that you try to follow the programme as instructed. Falls prevention service
- Equipment to assist your safe daily living
- Support with rebuilding confidence to increase independence.
- A home exercise programme. This helps to prevent further falls so it is important that you try to follow the programme as instructed.
- Equipment to assist your safe daily living
- Support with rebuilding confidence to increase independence.
We work closely with specialist nurses, GPs, hospitals and social services and will refer you on to other organisations to ensure all your health and social care needs are met. We will ask for your consent before making any onward referrals.
Please tell the team if you need to cancel or rearrange your appointment giving as much notice as possible on 01737 775474.
All appointment times are approximate due to the nature of community visits. We do our best to see you within 20 minutes.
Many people fall and think nothing of it. Sometimes they think that it is just a part of getting older. A third of people over 65 and half of people over 80 fall each year.
Falls can cause serious injuries, which can affect your mobility and your daily activities. It can also lead to fear of falling and loss of confidence. This can have a serious impact on your quality of life.
However, there are things you can do to make falling less likely. Doing something about it sooner rather than later means you may prevent yourself from having that one serious fall, which could have a huge impact on your life.
Patients referred to our service must:
- Have had 1 or more episodes of falls within the last 12 months with at least one requiring medical attention due to a fall or report recurrent falls
- Have observed balance or gait deficits
- Be registered to GP in the East Surrey CCG area
- Be 65 years old or over
- Be medically stable
Referrals can be made using a fully completed written referral form, letter or by telephone by a qualified health care professional (e.g. Physiotherapist, Occupational Therapist, Nurse, GP, or Consultant) or by the residential home manager after completing the Pre-referral checklist. If you feel you would benefit from this service, you should discuss this with your GP or other health care professional to make a referral on your behalf if deemed appropriate.
- CSP - Chartered Society of Physiotherapy: www.csp.org.uk
- HCPC - Health and Care Professions Council: www.hpc-uk.org
- NHS Falls prevention: www.nhs.uk/conditions/falls/prevention/
We carry out assessments in patients' homes.
How to contact us
- Call: 01737 775474
- Email: fchc.falls-service@nhs.net
Hours of service
- Monday to Friday: 08:30-16:30