Our services
Falls Response Service
Our Falls Response Service provides fast, compassionate assistance to people who have fallen, helping them back on their feet with care and dignity.
Since January 2018, we have been commissioned by the Welsh Ambulance Service and other partners to work with them to respond to calls from people who have fallen in communities across Wales.
The Falls Response Service provided by St John Ambulance Cymru, is an integral part of the Welsh Ambulance Service’s Falls and Frailty Framework, which plays a pivotal role in supporting people in their community when they need it most.
Our Falls Response Service
We aim to improve the experience and outcome of those who have fallen. Our service reduces the time it takes to get to patients, assess patients at home, and admit patients to hospitals.
The service operates across Wales and is initiated by a 999-call received by the Welsh Ambulance Service. Our falls assistants are then dispatched to the location of the call and perform a patient assessment.
Working in collaboration with clinicians from the Welsh Ambulance Service, we ensure that the most appropriate treatment is provided and complete onward referrals.
Our impact so far
Ageing Well in Wales estimates that between 230,000 and 460,000 people over the age of 60 experience a fall in Wales each year. Some of these falls will result in a 999 call to the Welsh Ambulance Service. Of these calls, almost half can be treated at home and do not require an emergency ambulance.
Since the start of the scheme in 2018, our Falls and Frailty Response Service has attended over 35,000 patients. The service has helped to reduce the number of emergency ambulance callouts, enabling them to attend more life-threatening calls. It has also allowed many of those who rang 999, who were often vulnerable or elderly, to stay at home.
Direct commission falls response service
We provide directly commissioned falls response to local authorities and health boards.
In the case of the local authority model, our response vehicle is typically tasked by a telecare monitoring service that provides the Falls assistant with details of the careline activation. Our responder attends the client’s property and undertakes a full assessment in line with our operating procedures.
By working with the telecare team, the client and their family, we ensure that the client is treated with compassion and attended to in a timely manner. In most cases, the patient is left safely at home.
In one authority that we work in, response times have fallen from 360 minutes to 24 minutes, with 90% of clients able to stay at home. By ensuring referral information is provided to the local health board’s wellbeing team we have been able to support community-based admission avoidance, and it is estimated our service has contributed to a £750,000 saving to the NHS in one year.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, a Falls Assistant would only be available after contacting 999 or pressing a lifeline button, they cannot be booked privately. We would recommend that for all falls involving injury that a 999 call is made.Â
Through our commissioned services, we ensure that all patients are assessed before they are moved. If appropriate, and to reduce the impact of lifting patients for both our staff and the patient, we use the Mangar Camel and Eagle lifting cushions to raise patients from the floor.
No, around 60-90% of the fallers we attend remain at home. Working with the Welsh Ambulance Service and other partners, after permission has been received, we can arrange follow up support if required.Â
Our service is pan-Wales with cars located in each of the Welsh Local Health Board areas.
More information can be obtained by contacting ao@sjacymru.org.uk.
Need more information?
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