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Community falls team win national award for falls prevention 

Published: October 25, 2024 in Awards, James Cook

The South Tees community falls team celebrating their success

Falls prevention specialists from South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are celebrating national success after being crowned winners of the Chief Allied Health Professions Officer (CAHPO) Public Health award 2024.

The South Tees community falls team were recognised for leading on the South Tees wide falls prevention strategy; a public health approach to reduce falls across Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, in the virtual CAHPO awards ceremony held on Thursday 10 October.

The national award, awarded by NHS England recognises an allied health professional (AHP) team or individual who has delivered service improvements which benefit population health and wellbeing and/or reduced health inequalities.

The team of physiotherapists, occupational therapists and therapy assistants have been working in partnership with local organisations to develop specialist pathways and resources to help every person in their community access a free falls assessment.

They joined forces with their local voluntary and housing teams, public health services, exercise providers, local authority and third sector organisations to create a multi-agency strategy group and developed and delivered specialist training sessions centred around falls prevention.

Nicola Dobson, connect and assistive technology team lead for Middlesbrough Independent Living Services is part of the strategy group and has been working with the team since 2018.

She said:

“The collaboration of services within the falls strategy group has provided the opportunity for teams to work together to explore new ideas and learning opportunities and share evidence of good practice. This has led to better services for those at risk of falls to remain as independent as possible.”

One-stop-shop for falls prevention

South Tees Steady on your feet graphic

In 2020, the South Tees community falls team proposed an idea for an online support platform for falls prevention and worked collaboratively with marketing agency, Better to develop Steady on your Feet. The online falls prevention platform allows users to access practical tips and guidance on staying active, independent and safe during everyday activities.

The platform scooped the Tees Tech Award in 2024 and includes an online self-assessment form that can be completed individually or with support from loved ones or health professionals. It creates free, personalised falls prevention action plans for users and reduces the need for a GP or hospital referral.

Users can identify hazards around their home using the home safety checker, download practical strength and flexibility exercise programmes and videos and access links to local support services in Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland.

Since its launch, the South Tees community falls team have signposted over 800 people in the South Tees locality to the platform and helped them to receive a free, personalised falls prevention action plan from the comfort of their own residence.

Steady on your Feet has quickly become the one-stop-shop for falls prevention advice nationally, with many organisations across the UK rolling out the platform within their local area.

Earlier this year, the South Tees Hospitals trust implemented a second platform for the community of Hambleton and Richmondshire, making them the first hospital trust in the North East to have two falls prevention platforms.

Collaborative working

The winning team were also recognised for leading on the relaunch of the Tees wide falls prevention strategy back in September this year, encouraging open and honest conversations around falls and for developing and delivering specialist falls prevention training sessions.

Charlotte Regan, health integration lead for Tees Valley Sport said:

“Falls prevention training has completely changed the way our teams work with their clients. Many of them have commented on how much the training has improved their knowledge and their ability to support clients who may be anxious to be more physically active.”

Kathryn Hodgson, clinical lead for the South Tees community falls team is over the moon with her team’s success.

She said: “I am immensely proud of all the work the team has done to develop the falls pathway and prevention resources. Their passion for falls prevention has been the ultimate driving force to achieving this award. We have also been very lucky to work with some fantastic partners across South Tees who share our passion for reducing falls and supporting people to become as safe and independent as possible.

“I am looking forward to the future where we will continue to adapt and develop our strategy to meet the needs of our community and ensure that falls prevention is at the forefront of everybody’s minds.”