NHS Fylde and Wyre Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is offering a 12-week strength and balance course for people who have suffered falls.
The new service is provided by Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and is physiotherapy and occupational therapy-led.
Patients that take part will receive a full risk assessment for falls and a personally tailored plan to help them prevent future falls.
NHS Fylde and Wyre Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is offering a 12-week strength and balance course for people who have suffered falls.
The new service is provided by Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and is physiotherapy and occupational therapy-led.
Patients that take part will receive a full risk assessment for falls and a personally tailored plan to help them prevent future falls.
The new scheme aims to reduce the strain a fall can place on the patient and their family in the weeks after as well as mitigate the cost of care for the NHS.
According to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), 10% of over 65-year-olds who fracture their hip will die within 30 days, while 30% of over 65-year-olds who fracture their hip will die within a year.
An ageing population means these incidents will increase by 50% by 2030.
Dr Jacky Panesar, a Fleetwood GP and Fylde and Wyre CCG’s clinical lead for falls, said: “Falls and fall-related injuries are a common and serious problem for older people and our figures tell us that 30% of over-65s will fall at least once every year.
“Falling causes people distress, pain, injury, loss of confidence and loss of independence. In serious cases it can also cause death.
“This has a knock-on effect for family members and carers, while costing the NHS more than £2.3 billion every year nationally and £3.3 million in Fylde and Wyre.
“I am delighted we are in a position to offer this new service which will improve the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in our society and also help reduce the number of people accessing emergency healthcare, putting us in a position to be more effective in treating our other patients.
“This will also help promote people’s independence and help patients in Fylde and Wyre to look after themselves in their own home and feel more confident and mobile.”
The service’s team can also arrange for equipment or minor home adaptations and can provide rehabilitation programs to support patients in their community.
This may include a place on special courses to improve their strength and balance.
Once the service is fully operational, patients can be referred into the programme by any health or social care professional who believes there to be a risk of falls.
The CCG aims to create a single point of access to which patients will be able to refer themselves in the future.
