Improvement and Effectiveness Manager Cherith Haythornthwaite was the first to make a pledge on the Plege Tree
Some of the staff pledges that were made
Sims Man highlights fall hazards
Paul from Mangar and Cherith Haythornthwaite try out the Camel lifting aid
Francesca Hall and Helen Veevers raised £190 for Blue Skies Hospital Fund through cake sales
April 1st 2016 was not just April fool’s Day, but April Falls day too.
Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust hosted the event in support of the national campaign Sign Up To Safety.
Falls Risk and Response Leads Francesca Hall and Emma Montgomery, encouraged staff and members of the public to engage with specialists from services and departments at the Trust with the aim of educating patients, staff, visitors and families on the life-changing effects a fall could cause.
Francesca said: “Experiencing a fall can have a truly life-changing and sometimes devastating effect on a person, particularly the elderly who are the most likely people to have an accident. A person may receive an injury which is difficult to fully recover from, meaning they find it harder to get out and about and live their life the way they did before.
“Falling can destroy a person’s confidence and independence with around one in 10 older people who fall becoming afraid to leave their own home in case they fall again.”
There was a Falls Pledge Tree where staff could make a pledge to improve patient safety regarding falls, by writing on an orange falling leaf and attaching it to the tree.
Emma said: “We have adopted the falling leaf symbol in the hospital arena to highlight to all staff the patient is at risk of falling. The leaf is displayed in the ward arena.
“We have also introduced anti slip yellow socks for patients that have been admitted due to a fall, have fallen in hospital or the multi-disciplinary team judgement indicates the need to highlight the individual is at high risk of falling.”
Other contributors to the day included the Falls Rapid Response Team, Parkinson’s specialist nurses, Osteoporosis nurse Helen Veevers, Mangar, Medline, British Red Cross, Age UK, Care and Repair, Progress housing group and the Alcohol liaison team.
Falling leaf cakes were also on sale throughout the day raised £190 for the Blue Skies Hospitals Trust.