Specialised team to help elderly who fall

Around one in three over-65s who live at home have at least one fall a year, with around half of those falling on a regular basis. In Bath and North East Somerset, a specialist Falls Rapid Response Team helps take pressure off ambulance services. The team of a specialist paramedic and an occupational therapist visits patients who have fallen at home without serious injury, gets them back on their feet but also assesses the home to prevent future falls, such as recommending furniture is rearranged or physical aids installed. The team visited around 60 patients a month in its first year and around 83 per cent avoided admission.