The challenge
Falls are a significant concern for older adults, with approximately one in three adults over 65, and half of those over 80, experiencing at least one fall each year.
To address this issue, Sheffield City Council’s City Wide Care Alarms (CWCA) has partnered with Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) and Tunstall Response to create an effective falls response service.
What we did
Falls account for around 10 percent of all ambulances, and the longer a person remains on the floor after a fall, the higher the risk of distress and worsening health outcomes.
To address this, YAS has established partnerships with various organisations to provide alternative responders to 999 calls involving falls. CWCA is one such partner, operating two teams of responders across Sheffield, available 24 hours a day. Initially, these teams responded solely to care alarm calls from CWCA’s 8,200 service users. However, their role has expanded to include responding to fall-related ambulance calls from individuals who may not be CWCA service users.
When a fall-related call is received, it is first assessed using a bespoke telephone triage tool. If deemed clinically appropriate, the call is forwarded to Tunstall Response. Tunstall Response manages approximately 500 inbound and 300 outbound calls daily on behalf of CWCA. Their operators are extensively trained to follow CWCA's specific protocols, ensuring that ambulance-related calls are prioritised correctly, and responders are dispatched promptly.
Patients will always receive an emergency ambulance response if there is concern about a serious injury or illness. However, with increasing pressure on services, collaborating to establish a range of ways to lift people safely and quickly from the floor is paramount.
Steve Cullen, Team Manager, City Wide Care Alarms
The results
On average, CWCA responds to 40 fall-related calls per month on behalf of YAS. CWCA responders typically reach individuals within 20 minutes, significantly reducing the wait time compared to ambulance services, which may be delayed due to high demand. The model has also now been adopted by other authorities in the Yorkshire
Quick response to non-injurious falls is crucial, as it helps prevent long lie times and improves patient outcomes.
Due to the success of the model in Sheffield, other authorities in the Yorkshire region are now adopting the approach to enhance their falls response services, demonstrating the effectiveness of the collaborative model and its potential to improve outcomes across the region.
The service also aims to:
- Reduce the number of patients taken to emergency departments
- Lower hospital admission rates
- Free up paramedic resources for more critical cases
- Enhance the overall patient experience
