Councils urge more falls prevention funding to tackle rising hospital admissions
More funding should be provided to help prevent falls, the Local Government Association (LGA) has said.
LGA analysis of NHS figures shows 316,669 people aged 65 and over were admitted to hospital last year due to falling – a 9% increase on 2013-14.
Based on this trend, admissions will reach around 350,000 by 2020/21, the equivalent of 950 cases every day.
Around one in five cases are caused by slipping, tripping or stumbling, sparking demands from council leaders for extra funding for adult social care to invest in prevention work to reduce falls through advice and guidance.
The LGA, which represents 370 councils in England and Wales, said council-run programmes such as exercise classes and home assessments can reduce the number of falls requiring hospital admission.
It cited new research showing that fall prevention programmes run by councils have produced a return on investment of more than £3 for every £1 spent.
Councillor Izzi Seccombe, chairwoman of the LGA’s community wellbeing board, said: “The fact these shocking figures are set to soar even higher in the next few years will heap further strain on local services.
“The LGA has previously called for a prevention fund to invest in proven interventions, such as falls, and new research backs up the value of this work.
“Council-run fall prevention schemes, such as home assessment and modification programmes, have been shown to offer a good return on investment, saving money from the public purse.
“But some councils are being forced to stop such fall prevention services due to funding reductions, which has seen spending on prevention work from adult social care budgets reduced by more than £60 million in the past year.
“To reduce demand and cost pressures on the NHS, the Government needs to switch its focus from reducing delayed discharges from hospital to preventing admissions in the first place and put adult social care and the NHS on an equal footing.”
Errol Taylor, chief executive of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said: “Falls are not an inevitable part of ageing.
“Prevention initiatives can bring results very quickly and we’re pleased to be supporting local areas to develop strategic approaches to falls prevention across England.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “Under the Care Act 2014 we expect local authorities to develop a comprehensive fall prevention plan, which we are supporting with access to up to £9.4 billion in dedicated social care funding over the next three years.
“We have also provided an extra £2 billion of funding to meet care needs, stabilise the market and reduce pressure on the NHS, and we recently announced a further £150 million for the next financial year.”
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