Health Foundation – Final FallSafe Report

Over 280,000 patient falls are reported from hospitals and mental health (MH) units annually and can cause serious injury, costing approximately £15 million per annum. Research has shown that falls can be reduced by 20 – 30% through multifactorial assessments and interventions. The aim of these assessments and interventions are to identify and treat underlying reasons for falls such as muscle weakness, cardiovascular problems, dementia, delirium, incontinence and medication. However, national audits have found low levels of implementation of these assessments and interventions in UK hospitals.