The second report of the continuous National Audit of Inpatient Falls (NAIF) covers 2020 England and Wales facilities audit data and is supported by National Hip Fracture Database (NHFD) clinical audit data from 1 January to 31 December 2019. An Interim Report based primarily on facilities audit results was produced as clinical audit timelines were impacted by COVID-19 and the related pressures on the NHS. The next full annual report is due to be published in Autumn 2021.
Clinical (for clinical teams)
1. Do not use screening tools to identify people at high risk of falls. Instead, offer a multi-factorial falls risk assessment (MFRA) to those over 65, and others over 50 who may be at higher risk.
2. Assessment and provision of appropriate walking aids must be available for all newly admitted patients, 7 days a week.
Organisational (for trust and health board executive teams)
3. Ensure your trust or health board participates in NAIF by registering and providing audit data.
4. Ensure availability on all sites of equipment to safely move patients with suspected spinal injury or hip fracture from the floor.
5. Record inpatient hip fractures as ‘severe harm’ in national reporting and learning systems.
6. Ensure your trusts or health board has a patient safety group which:
- includes falls prevention in its remit
- is overseen by a member of the executive and non‐executive team
- regularly reviews data on falls including harm and deaths
- assesses their practice against the trends in falls, harm and death rates from falls and reports and discusses these outcomes with the board.
7. Ensure training in the assessment, prevention and management of inpatient falls is provided for relevant staff groups.