NHS Wales: Falls project avoids 50 needless ambulance callouts

A caller strategy to assistance radical who person suffered falls has prevented 50 ambulances being unnecessarily sent this year.

St John Ambulance works with Hywel Dda wellness committee successful Pembrokeshire to nonstop its radical erstwhile idiosyncratic calls 999.

Sandra Davies, whose hubby Teifion fell astatine home, said it was "marvellous" arsenic helium did not privation to spell to hospital.

The aviator has been utilized 96 times since January but it needs much wellness committee backing to proceed aft March.

Ageing Well successful Wales estimates that betwixt 230,000 and 460,000 implicit 60s autumn each year.

When radical dial 999, it tin beryllium directed to the St John Ambulance falls effect team, who are sent to execute an appraisal and place whether the idiosyncratic tin enactment location oregon needs an ambulance to instrumentality them to hospital.

St John Ambulance operational squad person Robert James said successful 60% of cases, the idiosyncratic was good capable to enactment astatine home.

"You tin ideate if you were sending an ambulance unit retired and it has wasted 60% of the crew's time, good it's a large redeeming towards the NHS and the ambulance work successful itself," helium added.

"Provided determination are nary injuries, oregon crushed for them to spell to hospital, they tin beryllium discharged connected the scene."

The "falls" car has covered 2,200 miles (about 3,540km) since January and includes instrumentality to assistance radical safely.Janice John, a St John Ambulance falls assistant, utilized the specializer cogwheel to assistance assistance Mr Davies, who has dementia, aft helium fell portion walking to the bath astatine his location successful Haverfordwest. "We checked him implicit and determination were nary evident injuries," she said.

"We utilized a descent expanse to get him into presumption from wherever helium was, arsenic helium was successful an awkward presumption and we past utilized a lifting instrumentality called a Mangar Camel was utilized to get him of the floor."Following these checks, helium did not request to spell to hospital.

Mrs Davies said: "I deliberation it's marvellous due to the fact that I couldn't assistance him myself. I utilized to but I can't bash it anymore.

"He's got Alzheimer's and dementia truthful helium doesn't recognize fractional the time, what you are telling him, truthful I've recovered it precise useful having radical similar the St John Ambulance coming out. He doesn't privation to spell into hospital."

Hywel Dda had 55,000 calls astir falls successful 2022, of which 38,000 required a response.

Jessica Svetz, who works for the wellness board, said anyone waiting much than an hr - an expanding contented arsenic ambulance waiting times get worse - "have to beryllium conveyed to infirmary which mightiness mean they person to beryllium admitted".

"Having St John Ambulance get aboriginal improves their result tremendously," she said.