Admission spike ‘due to coding’

AN increase in the number of Angus pensioners being hospitalised after a fall has been blamed on a change in the way admissions are recorded.

People aged over 65 being admitted to hospitals after falling increased 23% in the last year, Angus Integration Joint Board (IJB) heard, but healthcare bosses put the spike down to a change in coding at A&E departments.

H o w e v e r, Hugh Robertson, non-executive member of t he Angus Health and Social Care IJB, remained unconvinced and called for preventative measures to stop accidents happening.

“This is only an interim report, it only goes so far,” he said. “I get the bit about falls admissions but what I hope is covered in the next report is an indication of what caused these falls.

“I hope the next report will look at ways we can prevent people falling so there isn’t an admission in the first place.”

Figures showed during 2018-19 t he r at e of admissions following a fall for people aged over 65 in Angus was 25.3 per 1,000 population – a 33% increase on the 2015-16 level and 23% increase on 2017-18.

Gail Smith, head of community health and care ser vices (north) wrote the interim report presented to the IJB. It said the increase in falls admissions appeared to be related to a change in the “pathway and data coding” involving the A&E.

If a patient transfers from A&E to a ward area for day treatment, this is counted as a hospital admission.

A further report will be submitted in February.

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