National Falls Prevention Coordination Group progress report
Published 25 March 2021
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Background
The National Falls Prevention Coordination Group (NFPCG) is made up of 40 organisations involved in the prevention of falls and care of fall-related injuries in England. It published the Falls and Fractures Consensus Statement in January 2017 and the Resource Pack in July 2017 and an evidence briefing on Multifactorial falls-prevention interventions in March 2019. The group is currently hosted and chaired by Public Health England (PHE).
This report outlines NFPCG activity during 2019 to 20 and 2020 to 2021. During this time the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has had a major impact on both older people and falls prevention services in England.
For older people the pandemic and accompanying response has impacted in terms of the need for social distancing, deconditioning, mental health and reduced access to health, care and leisure services. There has also been a significant impact on falls prevention services which have ceased delivery for large parts of the pandemic. Where care and treatment has been possible it has been constrained by COVID-19 related infection prevention and control measures.
Activity should also be seen within the context of the evidence base for falls prevention being in a state of transition. Three Cochrane systematic reviews were published immediately prior to the period this report covers (with a fourth still to come) and the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence has announced that they are updating the 2013 ‘Clinical Guidance 161 Falls in older people: assessing risk and prevention’. In 2020, Lamb and other published the results of the PreFIT trial, the largest falls prevention research study to date. The NFPCG looks forward to working with partners to update guidance that both reflects the emerging evidence base and supports the response to COVID-19 related impact on falls risk and falls prevention services.
Products
July 2019
‘Strength and balance quality markers: supporting improving through audit’ published by NFPCG and PHE, details seven quality markers for strength and balance exercise suitable for use by local areas as criteria to assist with audit and to support comparison and quality improvement.
August 2019
NFPCG input into NHS England’s Enhanced Health in Care Homes framework.
February 2020
Survey of NFPCG members carried out by National Institute of Health Research to identify priority areas for falls research.
March 2020
‘All Our Health: falls and fractures’ e-learning module for health and care professionals published by Health Education England. NFPCG provided subject matter and technical expertise and advice.
April 2020
NFPCG resources to support discharge of patients at risk from inactivity linked to Government guidance on social distancing and national lockdowns to contain the spread of COVID-19 infection. These comprised a script for staff and volunteers involved in the hospital discharge of patients with mobility issues not requiring rehabilitation services and a leaflet for use with patients discharged home with no community rehabilitation. The resources were published on the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists website.
Document authors were: Ruth Ten Hove (Chartered Society of Physiotherapy), Sarah De Biase (AGILE, Professional Network for Physiotherapists Working with Older People) and Dawn Skelton (Glasgow Caledonian University).
May 2020
NFPCG FAQs poster for care homes ‘Managing a fall that may require an ambulance during the COVID-19 pandemic’. This was commissioned by Association of Ambulance Chief Executives to prevent unnecessary ambulance call outs and was published by British Geriatrics Society.
Document authors were: Julie Windsor (NHS England and NHS Improvement), Julie Whitney (Kings College London), and Cathryn James (Association of Ambulance Chief Executives).
June 2020
PHE blog ‘Health and Wellbeing at Home: advice and resources for everyone spending more time indoors’. NFPCG provided information on falls prevention resources that had been produced by member organisations and the group in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
July 2020
NFPCG members and colleagues from British Geriatrics Society published a blog: ‘Are you ready for the Autumn and Winter? Key questions for people providing and planning local falls prevention services during the time of COVID-19’. Published 13th July 2020.
September 2020
NFPCG Falls survey launched to evaluate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on local falls services. Findings to be shared.
October 2020
‘Falls Response Governance Framework for NHS Ambulance Trusts’ published by Association of Ambulance Chief Executives. NFPCG provided input to this document which outlines a national ambulance service approach in response to people who have fallen.
NFPCG webinar on ‘Overcoming deconditioning and falls prevention during the COVID-19 pandemic’. View the slides from the webinar.
Meetings
June 2019
Theme: Assessing the evidence. Presentations from National Institute of Health Research, National Institute of Health and Care Excellence, NHS Digital and Professor Sallie Lamb on the PreFIT trial.
September 2019
Theme: Environment and home hazards. Presentations from Department of Health and Social Care, Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), Building Research Establishment (BRE), Care and Repair England, National Fire Chiefs Council.
December 2019
Theme: Emergency response. Presentations from Royal College of Emergency Medicine, College of Paramedics.
March 2020
NFPCG Extraordinary meeting: responding to COVID-19. COVID-19 remains a joint theme for all subsequent meetings.
April 2020
Theme: Medicines. Presentations on Medicines Optimisation in Care Homes (MOCH), Safer Prescribing for Frailty project.
July 2020
Theme: Adult Social Care. Presentations from Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland – Frailty Service, Safe Steps Ltd, University of Manchester on falls apps and technology assisted falls prevention.
November 2020
Theme: Fractures. Presentations from the RCP Falls and Fragility Fracture Audit Programme, MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit on SCOOP study (Screening in the Community to reduce fractures in Older women), Global Fragility Fracture Network, PreFIT study results.
January 2021
UK Four Nations Meeting: NFPCG, Public Health Agency (PHA) Northern Ireland and HSC Trusts, Health Improvement Scotland, and National Falls Prevention Taskforce for Wales agreed to develop a MOU to support closer working relationships going forward.
Areas for Future Focus
Members have identified a number of areas for future focus in 2021 to 2022, these include exploring, supporting and advising on:
- reducing the impact of COVID-19 on deconditioning and falls and increasing strength and balance exercise and rehabilitation for older people
- addressing health inequalities in relation to falls risk and falls prevention services and improving equity of access to high quality care and support across England
The National Falls Prevention Co-ordination Group membership
The National Falls Prevention Co-ordination Group membership 2019 to 2021 included:
- Age UK
- AGILE, Professional Network for Physiotherapists Working with Older People
- Association of Ambulance Chief Executives
- Association of Directors of Public Health
- Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS)
- British Geriatrics Society
- British Orthopaedic Association
- British Red Cross
- British Rheumatology Society
- Care and Repair England
- Centre for Ageing Better
- Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
- College of Occupational Therapists
- College of Paramedics
- College of Podiatry
- European Union Geriatric Medicine Society
- National Fire Chiefs Council
- Glasgow Caledonian University
- Healthwatch England
- Methodist Housing Association
- NHS England and Improvement Ageing Well team
- NHS England and Improvement Patient Safety
- NICE
- Public Health England, Healthcare Public health, Older Adults, Musculoskeletal and Regional representation
- Registered Nursing Homes Association
- Royal College of Emergency Medicine
- Royal College of Ophthalmologists
- Royal College of Nursing
- Royal College of General Practitioners
- Royal College of Physicians Falls and Fragility Fractures Audit Programme
- Royal Osteoporosis Society
- Royal Pharmaceutical Society
- RoSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents)
- The College of Optometrists
- University of Exeter
- University of Manchester
- University of Surrey
- World Falls Guidelines Group
If you would like any further information please contact: HealthcarePublic Health@phe.gov.uk.
Prepared by: Daniel MacIntyre (West Sussex County Council), Sue Dewhirst (Public Health England) and members of the NFPCG.