A PIONEERING service that treats people in the community when they fall over has helped prevent hospital admissions since its introduction.

The East Lancashire Falls Response Service sees occupational therapists and paramedics work alongside each other to give better care to people in their homes who have fallen.

Since the service was introduced, figures show it has prevented 76 per cent of patients being admitted to hospital and saving £200,000 costs for the emergency department at Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital.

Occupational therapists are uniquely qualified to work across the breadth of health services including in acute, community and mental health care.

Occupational therapist Rachel Bedwell, from Darwen, was introduced by East Lancashire Hospitals Trust (ELHT) into the paramedic team.

She said the newly formed partnership with North West Ambulance Service is able to respond to falls in a paramedic's car, often arriving at the scene quicker than an ambulance would.

Once at the scene, following the paramedic's assessment, Rachel performs a fall assessment which looks at how the person is managing in their home and identifies equipment or services the patient needs if they are to remain at home or whether they need to be admitted to hospital.

Rachel said: “The impact we can have in one visit to these patients is amazing – basically we can help people to remain at home safely.

"A lot of our patients really value their independence so being able to avoid an unnecessary admission to hospital is great for them.

“By working in tandem with a paramedic I am able get to these patients quickly, provide support and keep them out of hospital, which is a benefit to everyone involved.”

The seven days a week service was introduced as a pilot in January 2015 to help reduce the number of hospital admissions in people who have fallen at home.

Since then the service has gone from strength to strength, winning an award at the Occupational Therapy Show in October 2015.

Louise Davies, head of acute therapies and professional lead for occupational therapy at East Lancashire Hospital Trust, said the rolling out of the service has benefited patients and relieved pressure on Royal Blackburn Hospital by reducing avoidable hospital admissions.

She said: "I am delighted that this innovative service has also enabled the local NHS to make substantial savings in emergency department and paramedic conveyance costs.”

Julia Scott, chief executive of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists, who published a landmark report into the value and deployment of occupational therapists in England last year, said: “We set out last year to make the case for our profession and inspire health services around the country to deploy occupational therapists innovatively to meet the significant challenges, of delivering person centred care whilst reducing unnecessary admissions and delayed discharge.”

“It is fantastic to see the impact that our occupational therapy colleagues in the East Lancashire Falls Response Service are having – helping to get patients back in the community as soon as possible with the support they need.”