Falls and the resulting harm caused by falls can significantly impact a person's well-being and mobility. Within care settings, older people are three times more likely to fall than older people living in their own homes with more serious consequences.

In today's dynamic healthcare landscape, resident well-being is paramount and care homes are looking for innovative solutions to improve care outcomes.

Here, Mike Hamilton from My Improvement Network (one of our Falls Based Prevention Suppliers), explains how their RITA system can help in care home settings.

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How can RITA help manage and reduce incidences of falls?

The Daily Mail recently reported that 250,000 NHS Patients a year suffer a dangerous or even fatal fall estimated to cost £2.3 Billion pounds a year and if you take in to account falls in the community including in Care Homes, the issue is even greater. The sad reality is that a great deal of falls are preventable and some would argue that all of them are, but let's be realistic.

It is commonly overlooked that many falls frequently occur as a result of behaviours that challenge. So, what causes behaviours that challenge and what can be done to prevent it? Many fallers in hospital are elderly and have complex conditions such as Dementia and other underlying cognitive issues. Hospitals are incredibly scary and daunting places; they are unfamiliar and full of unfamiliar faces. These patients become very confused, unsettled, bored and restless in hospital and their behaviours deteriorate and escalate as a result. This can lead to wandering with purpose that leads to falls and combative behaviour leading to other safeguarding incidents.

Hospitals and care homes in general offer globally admired Clinical and Nursing interventions focussed on physical health; however, the Mental Health and Wellbeing of service users is sadly commonly overlooked and can be viewed as a 'nice to have', due to under resourcing, underfunding and a lack of awareness of the problem.

Scotland are ahead of the game. Last year, I wrote to the UK Government, lobbying for more investment, resources and standards focused on enhanced therapeutic proactive and preventative care to be considered. I was delighted to receive an invitation to meet with Government officials and received a letter from Michael Matheson Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care. I was really reassured to hear that new reforms are being implemented, including a proactive and preventative care programme.

So how does our RITA technology help to prevent falls and support the proactive and preventative care initiative?

The answer is that it is not the RITA device specifically, that helps to prevent a fall, it is the proactive therapeutic use of the RITA technology with patients/service users that helps to prevent falls.

Why?

When staff use RITA as an alternative therapeutic intervention, they are ultimately proactively enhancing the care environment and service users Mental Health, Quality of life and wellbeing. By doing so, this helps to prevent behaviours that challenge (Common root cause) occurring in the first place which in turn contributes to prevention of incidences of falls that may occur otherwise.

It is critical for other NHS leaders to follow Scotland's lead and to see the opportunity here. This is a prime example of an invest to save case.

If falls are costing the NHS an estimated £2.3 Billion pounds a year, surely it is logical to invest in a proactive and preventative care agenda.

Even if this approach were to help prevent just 10% of falls a year, we are talking a cost release saving to the NHS of £230M a year!

Arguably, the biggest challenge of course, is changing mindsets and culture; and this can only be achieved by implementing new standards, procedures and quality monitoring assessments.

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My Improvement Network are offering a 30% discount on their RITA system to WMCA members. For more information, contact Mike Hamilton by email at: mike.hamilton@myimprovementnetwork.com

You can find out more about My Improvement Network here.

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As part of Digital Transformation Fund (DTF) there is funding available for allocation to CQC registered homes to support Care Homes to introduce falls technologies to help identify and prevent falls and to engage in small pilots of other technology enabled care (TEC).

If you are interested to learn about your eligibility, what funding is available, and how the WMCA can support you through the selection and purchasing process, please click here.