Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (MPFT) is working with partners across health, education and tech to pilot new falls prevention methods.

The Trust has identified opportunities to pilot innovative support and technology to enhance its offer to patients and help minimise the impact falls have on quality of life and health along with the financial impact to the NHS.

Pilot support includes:

• KOKU; an app to help reduce high risk of falls and physical decline in older people by providing home based digital exercise programmes and community based group sessions led by Saltbox.
• Strength and balance exercise classes for people who have had a non-injurious fall.
• Falls Assistant; a web based platform which contains health information regarding falls prevention and also provides users with an opportunity to self-assess their risk level

Other pilot methods involve enhanced home hazard assessments, a more robust identification and prevention programme targeting repeat fallers and the adoption of the World Falls Guidance risk classifications for different groups. Partners involved in the project so far include: Staffordshire University, University of Manchester, University of Birmingham, PCN social prescribers, Staffordshire County Council and local faith groups.

MPFT is also developing a Falls Is Everyone’s Business campaign to coincide with the pilots and raise the profile of falls prevention advice and resources among its staff and partners to ensure more people can identify risk sooner. If you would like to be involved in promoting the campaign among your organisation and networks, please contact MPFTfallspreventiongroup@mpft.nhs.uk to receive the campaign toolkit.