The fourth report of the continuous National Audit of Inpatient Falls (NAIF) covers 2022 England and Wales facilities audit data and clinical audit data from 1 January to 31 December 2021. You can now watch the NAIF 2022 annual report webinar on YouTube held 8 December 2022.
Clinical/leadership
1. Fall-related fractures can happen on any ward; Inpatients aged >65 should have a high-quality MFRA regardless of their ward.
2. There is only one chance to get it right; High-quality MFRA is required to identify risk factors and ensure action is taken to address these.
Clinical
3. High-quality MFRA is necessary to ensure important fall risk factors are addressed; use NAIF data and quality improvement methods to increase the proportion of inpatients who receive a high-quality MFRA.
4. Accurate post-fall checks support effective care; Trusts/LHBs should ensure staff with appropriate competencies are available to carry out post-fall checks 24/7.
Leadership
5. All inpatients should have access to flat lifting equipment to move patients from the floor; Trusts/LHBs should ensure access to flat lifting equipment is available at all sites.
Clinical/leadership
6. Inpatients who sustain a femoral fracture should have immediate access to analgesia: Trusts/LHBs should ensure prompt medical assessment/diagnosis for inpatients and compliance with hip fracture NICE guidelines.
Leadership
7. Improvement activities should focus on fall prevention and post-fall management processes: NAIF KPIs/recommendations should be the focus of QIPs; benchmarking falls or fracture rates between trusts/LHBs is not recommended.