Monday April 12th 2021
Health bosses have pledged £55,000 towards tackling the impact of falls on people living in Midlothian.
The move comes after it was revealed that the Scottish Ambulance Service had been called out to 784 falls in the space of a year in Midlothian.
Midlothian Integration Joint Board (IJB) has now issued a direction to NHS Lothian and Midlothian Council on falls which will ensure the issue is given priority in delivery of services.
And it will use £55,000 from the existing health and social care partnership budget to set up a system to collect information of fall reports and identify priorities, as well as developing pathways for people at risk and primary care providers.
The new direction, approved by the IJB last week, states: “Harm from falls and fear of falling affect large numbers of people both directly and indirectly and can have a significant impact on wellbeing and prevent many people from experiencing healthy ageing.
“There is a shared vision in Midlothian where more people live a life free from fear, harm, disability and social isolation from falls.”
At a meeting of the IJB in February, members called for the additional action after they were told about the current prevention strategy and number of incidents reported.
The overall aim of the direction is to reduce the number of falls and identify people who might be most at risk, as well as looking at streets and pavements where the most vulnerable live.
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