Reducing falls

Reducing falls is a priority across the NHS this winter and an innovative falls prevention programme has been developed by staff.

Longmoor House Reablement Service provides a step-down service for patients who have been discharged from hospital but still require care and assessment in a non-acute setting, until they are ready to go home. It is also open to patients needing step up care from community settings who require reablement or convalescence, where alternative out of hospital home care has been exhausted.

Developed by the staff at Longmoor House, the ‘Ready, Steady, Go’ programme starts with movements which can be done in bed through to chair exercises with the overall aim to help patients be as steady on their feet as possible.

The programme is designed in three stages and resources are made available for patients to access so they are clear about exercises they should be performing at each stage.  Bright and colourful graphics have been created to make the programme as easy to follow as possible, coordinating footprint trails, leaflets and banners around the wards.

Ready – this initial stage focuses on exercises that patients need to undertake while bedbound, to help strengthen their muscles and to improve blood flow. 

Steady – these exercises have been designed for patients once they are able to sit up in bed or stand to develop core strength.

Go – the final stage focuses on maximising mobility to prevent deconditioning. Vinyl footprints around the wards create trails for patients to follow, encouraging independent walks and interaction with others.  

Falls place a significant burden on services costing the NHS more than £2.3 billion a year. The Ready, Steady, Go principles can easily be adapted for wider use and after evaluation of the campaign’s launch at Longmoor House, the Trust plans to roll out this approach across all services.

Ward manager Joseph Cullen, who helped create the ‘Ready, Steady, Go’ campaign says, “When people have been ill and lost muscle strength or have a health condition which affects their mobility, exercising can be the last thing on their mind. But moving more - even when you’re lying in bed - can help get people back on their feet.”

This campaign is supported by the winter issue of the Trust’s magazine which outlines tips to prevent falls including diet advice and exercises to improve strength, balance and flexibility