Mangar Health and Ispwich and East Suffolk CCG fall collaboration image

A collaboration between Ipswich and East Suffolk Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and Mangar Health has been launched to safeguard the lives of care home residents that fall and to promote best practice in post-fall management.

The initiative is designed to empower care home staff to deliver a robust health assessment after a resident falls and make informed decisions around moving them from the floor.

In the UK, more than 1,000 residents a day living in care homes will fall and although more than 50 percent are uninjured, they need help getting up again.

Mangar Health describes the new initiative as “ground-breaking” as it aligns best practice in post-fall management with policies that reduce both hospital admissions and ambulance call-outs.

Lisa Elmy, from East Suffolk CCG, said: “We are committed to supporting the care homes in our region to provide the best possible care for residents. This initiative provides training in the ISTUMBLE health assessment tool, combined with a Mangar Camel lifting cushion, so providing staff with the skills and equipment they need to move residents safely and with dignity.”

Launched last year, the ISTUMBLE app supports carers and care assistants to be able to assess fallen residents and to make informed decisions about whether they can lift the faller themselves safely and with the appropriate lifting equipment.

Mangar Health CEO Simon Claridge added: “We have been delighted to work with Ipswich and East Suffolk on this initiative and witness the enthusiasm of care staff from across 86 homes in the area who have attended our training sessions.

“The UK healthcare sector recognises that avoiding hospital admittance, where it is safe to do so, is critical and similar projects to this one in other parts of the country have already seen care home resident hospital admittance numbers reduce by up to 80%.”

Traditionally, care homes may call for an ambulance to help with lifting a fallen resident but regularly wait four hours or more for support to arrive. As a non-life-threatening event, these calls are not categorised as urgent, however, the longer an elderly resident is on the floor waiting for assistance, the greater the impact on long term health.

Ideally, a resident should be lifted within 10 minutes of a fall in order to reduce the likelihood of an associated condition developing, says Mangar Health.

Care homes and CCGs interested in the post-fall management initiatives are now being encouraged to contact Mangar Health via: cbirt@mangarhealth.com

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