I Write to Acknowledge Receipt of Your Request for Information and to Provide the Following

I write to acknowledge receipt of your request for information and to provide the following responses.

1. Is there a risk assessment for Elderly patients for the risk of slips trips or falls and falls from the bed? I am particularly interested in GLAN Clwyd hospital, Denbighshire?

Response

The risk assessment used at Glan Clwyd (copy attached) asks a series of questions related to evidence-based risk factors for falls, e.g. fall/s in the previous 12 months, medications, mobility issues etc. This produces a score which denotes the level of the risk as low, medium or high.

Falls specifically from bed are not a risk factor taken into consideration as the assessment is completed on admission but they would be accounted for in the second question of the assessment (falls in previous 12 months) if the patient had been into hospital during that timescale.

2. If so, is this in place across the country?

Response

All NHS hospitals will use similar risk assessments but we don’t hold copies of these assessments. You will need to contact other Trusts and/or Health Boards for details of their assessments

3. How are patients assessed?

Response

The assessment form (side 1) is used to produce a score and side 2 is used by nursing and medical staff to determine how they should handle the risk.

I trust that this information is what you are looking for, but please do not hesitate to contact me if I can help further.

Would you kindly acknowledge receipt of this information?