This week colleagues across CHFT have been getting involved in sharing awareness about falls prevention. Our yellow Sock Day, Pimp my Zimmer activities and Seeing is Believing roadshow were real successes and the team are already thinking ahead to next year's events.
Matron Janette Cockroft told CHFT Weekly "The event was planned at quite short notice because Maggie Shepley, who has been leading on falls for two years is moving on to outpatients - and she's been key to raising awareness.
"The engagement from all areas was fabulous and having the Seeing is Believing trolley manned by physiotherapy visit wards rather than on a stand seemed to work well.
"The focus was on how much impaired vision can have an impact on falls so to have Alice Elliot, our Eye Clinic Liaison Officer who has close links to the RNIB on board was great too!"
"I'm really proud of how everyone pulled together and personally want to say a huge thank you to the whole team who got behind it but especially Maggie - we really wouldn't have got this far without her!"
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Fab falls feature number one......
Falls Prevention Worker Debbie Beaumont-Lorimer shared a recent success story with us....her patient Margaret Hopkinson has really benefitted from support (see photos below).
"When I first went to see Margaret, she had lost all her confidence in going out, was even crawling up the stairs and didn't like to walk down them.
"She was very scared of having a bath because she was wary of getting in and out of it. She wasn't going out very much, and definitely not on her own. She was feeling extremely unbalanced and always felt like she was veering off to the left.
"We provided more rails up the stairs and grab-handles at the top along with grab-handles at her outside door and over the bath. And she was provided with bath steps and a bath seat were ordered & delivered.
"She also took part in the ‘at-home’ OTAGO Strength & Balance programme.
"What a difference this support has had! Just six weeks later she told me she's feeling much more confident – both indoors and out. She's no longer afraid of walking up and down the stairs, or even when taking a bath. She is going out more and has even walked back from the hairdressers on her own, which she has not done for quite a while.
"She is really pleased with the adaptations, equipment and support she has received and has told me she'd highly recommend the service to others."
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Fab falls feature number two...
The IC team at Brackenbed have just received a Gold Award from the Improvement Academy following their achievement of over 30 days without a fall, and using the Safety Huddle as their risk awareness model with the private sector also. (see photos).
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Fab falls feature number three...
Ward 6BC at CRH have also just received their Gold Award.....meaning they've gone 30 days without a fall. Pictured below are Kayleigh Griffin HCA, Louise Norris Sister, FY2 Aisha Fayaz and Julie McAllister Ward Clerk. Photo below
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Falls Lead Maggie Shepley explained:
"We work really closely with the Improvement Academy and THIS (Health Informatics) to have a strong focus on falls. Each ward has a board outside their ward to mark how many days they've gone without a fall.
"Once they reach 10 days +, 20 days + and 30 Days + they alert us and they receive a certificate. It's only when they manage to embed the process within the ward for an extended amount of time (around 6 months) that they achieve gold standard.