The number of over 60s admitted to Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments in the North as a result of slips, trips and falls has risen by more than a third in four years, new data has revealed.
The Manchester-based home care provider Trustcare at Trafford Housing Trust received data from 19 northern NHS Trusts following a freedom of information request, and found that the number of admissions rose from 22,076 in 2015 to 30,269 in 2019.
The areas that saw the biggest increases include Greater Manchester, where the Pennine Acute Hospitals Trust recorded a 64 per cent increase in admissions, Bradford, which saw admissions rise by 57 per cent, and Mid Yorkshire, which reported increases of 50 per cent.
Figures from the first half of 2020 reveal 14,422 patients arrived in A&E as a result of slips trips or falls between January and June, and just under half of all total admissions took place in winter.
Mick Gallagher, Director of Independent Living, Care and Support at Trafford Housing Trust, said: “This is a significant increase and clearly illustrates how slips, trips and falls are representing a greater threat to the over 60s, and certainly resulting in larger numbers attending A&E.
“The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the strains that our wonderful NHS is under, so we should all be looking into methods and preventative measures and equipment to help minimise the risk and ensure fewer patients end up in hospital.”
Interventions from Trustcare’s alert and response service in 2020 resulted in more than 1,000 customers not requiring ambulance attendance or possible hospitalisation, creating annual estimated total savings for the ambulance and health services of more than £1 million.
