Inpatients are now given non-slip socks as part of a plan to cut the number of people falling over during their stay at Croydon University Hospital.

Other measures introduced at the hospital include dedicated ward rounds to monitor patients, such as the elderly, deemed most at risk, and a falls prevention training programme for staff.

These efforts have seen the number of falls drop from 100 in April 2011 to about 70 per month now.

Croydon health services falls prevention group chairman Dr Wallace Tan, consultant geriatrician, said: “Falls can lead to severe injury, even death, so this is a really important issue for us at Croydon University Hospital.

“Our work is paying dividends but we are not complacent and will continue to do everything possible to eradicate avoidable falls.”

"We are making good progress here and will continue to learn from other hospitals on how we can do even better."


TODAY'S TOP STORIES

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK