The National Audit of Inpatient Falls (NAIF) aims to improve inpatient falls prevention and post fall care through audit and quality improvement.
NAIF audits the delivery and quality of care for patients over 60 who fall and sustain a fracture of the hip or thigh bone in acute, mental health, community and specialist NHS trusts/health boards in England and Wales.
NAIF reviews the care the patient has received before their fall as well as the post fall care. The audit also looks for evidence of examination for other injuries for patients who are found to have a fracture, which is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) clinical guideline CG161 - and quality standard QS86.
Data processing statementGet ready for the expansion!
From 1 January 2025, NAIF will expand to collect information from patients who sustained any fracture, spinal or head injury as a result of an inpatient fall.
Expansion resources now available:
You will need to register to gain access to the NAIF reporting webtool.
NAIF is included in the HQIP 2021-22 listing for national audits that must be reported in the trust quality account. It also forms part of the National Clinical Audit Patient Outcomes Programme (NCAPOP). The clinical audit dataset is reviewed and updated annually.
If you are already participating in NAIF, you do not need to re-register.
If you are not registered to NAIF, the falls lead in your trust/health board will need to complete the registration form below and return it to falls@rcp.ac.uk.
The registration form is for both the clinical audit and the facilities audit. Registered trusts/health boards will be updated regularly on any approaching data entry deadlines. If you do not have a falls lead in your trust/health board, an alternative lead should be registered as the key contact for the audit. For example, a patient safety or clinical audit lead.
Please note that falls leads do not have to personally input all the data, but are responsible for ensuring that the actions are completed. There can be some flexibility in terms of who inputs the data into the web tool in different organisations. Falls leads are encouraged to develop ways of completing this audit that work in their local context. Using the web tool All data input will take place via the online web tool.
To enable you to complete the clinical audit we will create a login for you to access the web tool.Â
Registered sites should ensure that data processing information about NAIF is readily accessible for patients and their families.
The audit is funded through the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) and is carried out by the Care Quality Improvement Department of the Royal College of Physicians. Participation in this audit and results will be communicated to HQIP and will also be shared with other statutory bodies, including the Department of Health. The audit is steered by a multi-disciplinary advisory group and the FFFAP patient panel. Our key partners are in the advisory group are:
- British Geriatric Society
- British Orthopaedic Association
- Royal Osteoporosis Society
- National Falls Prevention Coordination Group (NFPCG)
NAIF data collection webtool and performance tables are provided by Crown Informatics.
Data analysis by Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford (NDORMS).
These tools and documents were specifically developed for use within the Falls and Fragility Fracture Audit Programme (FFFAP). These tools have been made publicly available and should you choose to download them for uses outside of FFFAP, you are free to do so, but are hereby agreeing to enter into a royalty free, non-exclusive, licence agreement with Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership under the following terms and conditions:
All information, software, products and related graphics contained in the audit tool or data collection form are provided for non-commercial purposes "as is" without warranty, including but not limited to the implied warranties of satisfactory quality, fitness for a particular purpose, title and non-infringement of third party intellectual property rights.
In no event shall HQIP be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages for loss of profits, revenue, data or use incurred by you or any third party, whether in action in contract, tort, or otherwise, arising from your access to, or use of, the audit tool or form. HQIP make no representations about the suitability, reliability, or timeliness, and accuracy of the information, software, products and related graphics contained in the audit tool or forms. HQIP reserves the right to make improvements, changes or updates to forms or tools at any time without notice.
