A rapid response falls service
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A Rapid Response Falls Service in the North East Ambulance Service - an observational prospective cohort study
IRAS ID
253489
Contact name
Mathew Beattie
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 9 days
Research summary
It is common for elderly people to suffer a fall and many become frequent fallers. Fear of suffering a fall can make people less active and lead to a decline in mobility and physical function. Most people who fall access the emergency services, meaning that the ambulance service is well placed to provide alternative, innovative care for this patient group.
The North East Ambulance Service intends to run a pilot study comprising of a rapid response falls unit with a Paramedic and an Occupational Therapist. A Paramedic is an ambulance clinician who will assess the patient for injuries and provide necessary medical treatments. An Occupational Therapist is a practitioner who will assess the patient to see if they require any help or support in their daily activities to prevent future falls and prolong independent living. This combined service will provide a comprehensive physical assessment of the patient and offer access to alternative and more appropriate care pathways, avoiding trips to Hospital.
This new service will run for a 12 month period from September 2018 to September 2019. All patients who call 111 or 999 following a fall, who are attended to by an ambulance and who are aged 60 years or over will be eligible to be attended to by this new service.
We will request consent from each patient to collect anonymised data about them and their episode of care. This data will help evaluate the rate of hospital admission, evaluate the clinical and cost effectiveness of the service and determine the prevalence of risk factors for suffering a fall. The study will run from October 2018-September 2019. Participants will undergo no other research activities other than consenting to the use of their data as part of this study.
REC name
North West - Greater Manchester West Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/NW/0763
Date of REC Opinion
23 Nov 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion