ALMOST 5000 patients have suffered injuries from falls while being looked after in NHS Lothian hospitals and surgeries in just two years.
Figures released under Freedom of Information legislation, show 12,000 patients fell between April 2005 and March 2007, although not all were hurt.
They have led to criticisms of hospital staff shortages, patients being made to walk before they are ready, and failure to restrain those at risk of falling out of bed.
NHS Lothian's record did improve in 2006-7 – the most recent available figures – with both the total number of falls, and those which resulted in injury, dropping by about 300.
However, the Scotland Patients Association warned the numbers are still too high and action must be taken. Dr Jean Turner, chief executive of the SPA, said: "These are really terrible numbers.
"The number of falls that take place are an indication of the abilities of nursing staff to observe and look after patients. It is not the nurses' or carers' fault – there are not enough of them."
"However, I do think that sometimes they expect patients to do too much. Elderly people are often frail even before they go into hospital, then they have a major operation, and afterwards they are very shaky."
Dexter Gebbie is pursuing legal action against NHS Lothian for his sister Arlane, 50, from Livingston, who died after repeatedly falling out of her hospital bed at Edinburgh's Western General.
He claims she could be alive today if not for a series of injuries from falls, including three times in December 2004 after a brain tumour operation, and believes restraints should be used to stop vulnerable patients falling out of bed.
Mr Gebbie, 55, of Craigentinny Crescent, said: "I hope this is going to change as experts and professors are now starting to disentangle the political correctness that surrounds restraint.
"I think we need to tighten up the rules as different ward managers and surgeons take different approaches – this certainly happened in my sister's case."
NHS Lothian pointed out that the figures include slips in showers and toilets, on steps or corridors, from toilets or chairs and from beds, and can take place for many reasons including confusion, loss of balance, eyesight or hearing difficulties.
Alf Chamings, head of health and safety at NHS Lothian, said: "NHS Lothian has a robust system for the reporting of incidents and near-misses and staff are encouraged to report every incident.
"Patient safety is a very high priority and we want to do all we can to ensure patient safety and eliminate potential causes of harm and we have successfully reduced the number of trips and falls.
"We are taking a range of measures, including the introduction of non-slip flooring.
"The task is a major one as we have one million patient attendances a year across over 300 sites, including GP surgeries, dental practices, care homes and hospitals."
"Among the latest initiatives is the introduction of a new health and safety manual for all managers and accompanying training package, aimed at a more systematic, problem-solving approach to controlling risks.
"In our care of the elderly wards each patient has a falls checklist which is filled in by doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and occupational therapists. This enables us to carry out risk assessments to identify any possible causes of falls and put an action plan in place."
•
www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk•
www.scotlandpatients.comThe full article contains 580 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
