What is HelpFall?
HelpFall is the digital post-falls decision support and reporting tool that supports care staff to safely assess a person who has fallen, and helps them decide whether to lift or assist them from the floor using safe manual handling techniques and equipment.
HelpFall uses a traffic light system to categorise the fall and suggest what actions care staff should take based on their answers, and is based, with kind permission, on the South Western Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust Post Fall Assessment Checklist. (🡥).
What problem does HelpFall solve?
Care staff often lack the tools and training required to safely assess a person who has fallen. This lack of confidence often results in care staff calling the ambulance service, which in many cases is unnecessary.
HelpFall empowers care staff to make an informed decision about whether it is safe to move and lift a person who has fallen.
Combined with the use of safe manual handling techniques and equipment, HelpFall reduces unnecessary ambulance call outs to minor and non-injury falls in community care settings.
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For the Patients
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For the Service
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For the System
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By including reporting as part of the assessment process, HelpFall enables care homes to simply and consistently report falls that occur in their homes, and helps improve collaboration between care homes and multi-disciplinary teams.
From analysing data such as where & when falls occur, what's causing the falls, and what post-falls actions are being taken, project leaders can report on the success of their project and implement appropriate preventative interventions.
Here is a story from a care home in North East Essex:
"Resident lost balance and staff used HelpFall to assess for injury. Minor bruising was observed but staff were able to confirm no major injury was apparent so, instead of calling 999, safely lifted the resident from the floor. Care staff administered first aid for bruising and observed the resident for 24 hours for any new symptoms."
