Falls (health and wellbeing needs in South Tyneside)

Unmet needs in South Tyneside

  1. There is a lack of a clear and comprehensive local strategy for the prevention of falls for South Tyneside. The Scottish Government has an excellent model [27] designed for the nation. It is suggested the Multi-Agency Falls Prevention Group undertake this task with some urgency, including engagement with key partners / services who may not currently be represented on the group.
  2. There are insufficient opportunities for older adults to become or remain active in the region. What does exist is often challenging to find, attend, and for the providers, to maintain partly attributable to the short term and fragmented approach to funding.
  3. There is insufficient capacity of occupational therapy services to provide home safety assessments, equipment recommendations, and environmental changes to address fall prevention as set out in NICE QS86. [28]
  4. Pressures on GPs, particularly as at the time of this writing, include the demands of managing patients in a global pandemic This further prevents them from effective education and investigation of falls and fall risk of older adults.
  5. Prior to the merger of South Tyneside and Sunderland Foundation Trusts, South Tyneside Hospital had a full time falls prevention nurse specialist. Currently there is one part-time nurse in that role for both sites.
  6. Staffing levels are a national issue in all NHS Trusts and is equally problematic in South Tyneside as other Trusts [29]
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