Keele University, in partnership with Walsall CCG, has developed a new online toolkit to help healthcare professionals identify patients at risk of falls, and potentially reduce unplanned hospital admissions.

The Falls Risk Assessment Toolkit identifies patients over the age of 65 who may benefit from a medication review, falls assessment and signposting to local falls prevention services.

In tests the toolkit was estimated to identify approximately 300 at-risk patients in a CCG of 280,000 patients. It is free to use and fully compatible with EMIS Web clinical system.

Professor Steven Chapman from the Centre for Medicines Optimisation at Keele University said: “Falls are the largest cause of emergency hospital admissions for older people in the UK and are estimated to cost the NHS more than £2 billion per year.

"However, many falls are preventable. Removing hazards, addressing deterioration in muscle strength, balance and vision, and a medication review of psychotropic medicines will all reduce a person’s risk of falling.”