Falls & Fracture Prevention - Data
What you told us
Read the Consultation Report for the Strategic Plan 2022-25 (PDF)
What the data tells us
Falls among older people are a major concern. The cost associated with falls is considerable – both for inpatient fracture management and long term care provision. This is set to rise as our population ages. Falls have an impact on a person's independence and quality of life, and the repercussions for family and friends.
The risks associated with not taking action to reduce falls is significant. Risk assessments and multi-factorial intervention programmes can achieve a substantial reduction (<30%) in the incidence of falls among older people. Many falls and fractures can be prevented by services and organisations working in partnership with the person and their carers. Falls prevention and management is not the preserve of one profession, service or organisation. The consequences of a fall cut across all agencies, all of whom can be part of the solution. A fall is a symptom, not a diagnosis. It can be a marker for the onset of frailty, the first indication of a new or worsening health problem and/or can represent a tipping point in a person's life, triggering a downward decline in independence. However, falls are not an inevitable consequence of old age.
The male:female ratio remains nominally at 40:60 ( indicative of the population profile) for the Midlothian Uninjured Falls Service.