Agenda item

Falls and fractures are a major health issue faced by older people in West Sussex. Their human cost includes distress, pain, injury, loss of confidence, loss of independence and mortality. Falls health services are experiencing significant increases in demand and falls are one of the main precipitating factors for admission to care and nursing homes, thus adding to pressures on the adult social care budget.

The Board is asked to note the report (with appendix) on the West Sussex Winter Pressures FALLS Prevention Programme.

47.1 The Board received a report on the West Sussex Winter Falls Prevention Programme.  (Copy appended to the agenda and available on the website).

47.2 The report outlined that falls and fractures were a major health issue faced by older people in West Sussex. The human cost could include distress, pain, injury, loss of confidence, loss of independence and mortality.  In West Sussex there were 4,495 emergency hospital admissions for falls related injuries in 2016/17. A common and serious injury resulting from a fall is hip fracture which significantly reduces independence and increases the risk of mortality. There were 1,240 admissions for hip fractures in 2016/17 resulting in an annual cost to West Sussex of more than £20,472,40.

47.3 It was advised that in health service terms falls were both high volume and costly and were one of the main precipitating factors for admission to care and nursing homes. West Sussex had seen a significant increase in demand with lengthy waiting times reported for specialist falls services.

47.4 It was noted that hip fracture admission was a key indicator for the supporting independence in later life priority in the West Sussex Plan. Action on falls was also one of the proposed transformational initiatives in the Ageing Well component of the Draft West Sussex Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy. Falls prevention was included as one of the three priority areas in the Surrey and East Sussex Sustainability Transformation Plan (STP).

47.5  Board Members were advised that the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care allocated £3.3m to West Sussex to tackle winter pressures in the NHS (confirmed 26^th November 2018). £1m of this was allocated to falls prevention with the West Sussex Public Health team leading on delivering a priority programme of work in this area.  The West Sussex Public Health team had engaged with key internal and external partners including Sussex Community Foundation Trust (SCFT), South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb), Coastal West Sussex, Horsham and Mid-Sussex and Crawley Clinical Commissioning Groups, West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, West Sussex Independent Living Service, and the seven district and borough councils across West Sussex to develop the ‘West Sussex Winter Pressures Falls Programme.’ 

47.6 In discussing the report Board Members:

·         stated that it was important for current providers to give out key messages. The Chairman drew attention to the  Super Six booklet that included information for doing the balance test and six gentle exercises that people were being encouraged to do three times a week.

·         commented that focus should be on preventing new fallers as well as preventing repeat falls.

·         highlighted work force issues as a challenge especially in an area such as Mid-Sussex which required flexibility and adaptability to deliver the falls programme’s aims. Upskilling staff and training were noted as key priorities in order to best utilise the existing work force.

·         felt there was a need to use data to build up a picture of who was falling, when and why in order to best target prevention.

·         commended the Falls Prevention programme’s targeted approach with the use of local expertise.

47.7 The Chairman thanked Board Members for their feedback and looked forward to the positive outcomes of the programme.

47.8 Resolved that the Board noted the report.