The Community Falls Service
The Community Falls Service is a citywide specialist service working with older people to reduce their risk of falling. We provide specialist assessment, treatment and advice to older people, usually aged 60 years and above, in their own homes or in a community/clinic setting, to reduce the risk of falling and to maintain safety and independence. As we are a specialist service, we see people with complex falls needs, such as unexplained falls, or falls associated with a loss of consciousness or dizziness.
What we offer
Our experienced team of specialist Physiotherapists, Pharmacists, an Advanced Clinical Practitioner, and Therapy Assistant Practitioners, deliver a falls service in the community to:
- Provide specialist falls risk assessments to older people who have complex presentations, multiple pathologies or unexplained dizziness, and are therefore at higher risk of falls
- Support older people in the community and help to prevent avoidable, unnecessary admission to hospital or premature admission into long-term care
- Provide specialist physiotherapy interventions aiming to reduce the risk of future falls and fear of falling – this may include provision of an exercise programme or onward referral to other services as required, as well as specialist assessment of dizziness.
- Review medications which may be contributing to the risk of falls, in liaison with the person’s GP
- Identify changes in a person’s functional status and confidence during the service’s intervention by use of clinical assessment tools and outcome measures
In addition, we provide:
- Specialist falls advice and support to other community health and social care professionals
- Education to community health and social care professionals and services in collaboration with other health care teams
The team also works closely with Consultant Geriatricians to provide support to complex high risk falls patients.
Who’s it for?
The service is for older people who are:
- Usually aged 60 and above, registered with a Leeds GP and are identified as being at high risk of falling
- Identified as having complex falls needs requiring the specialist assessment, skills and input of the team
Referrals
Information for the public:
If you feel you or a relative would benefit from an assessment, please contact your GP to discuss your needs further. The GP can then make a referral to the most appropriate service dependent on individual need. The Community Falls Service only accepts referrals from other healthcare professionals.
Information for healthcare professionals:
Referrals can only be made by a registered healthcare professional. For information on the referral process and how to refer a patient into the service please see Leeds Health Pathways link below.
Leeds Integrated Falls Pathway (leedsth.nhs.uk)
If a person is currently under the care of a Leeds Community Healthcare Neighbourhood Team, then the Neighbourhood Team should be contacted in the first instance to complete a falls risk assessment.
Please note that the Community Falls Service is not a rapid response service. For older people who require urgent assessment and/or short-term daily support at home with activities of daily living, referrals can be made by the person’s GP to the Neighbourhood Team.
For further information about falls and advice on falls prevention, please visit the NHS website.
Falls prevention advice can also be found in an easyread format here:
- Preventing falls at home
- Preventing falls in a care setting
- Useful organisations for people at risk of falls
- What to do if you have a fall
