Just get me up!

Mangar Health was delighted to host a falls and frailty webinar this morning for the College of Paramedics, attracting more than 300 EMS delegates. Gary Strong, national CPD manager from COP, welcomed experts from the sector and chaired an event to discuss the importance of safe lifting policies for both healthcare workers and the patients.

The event was kicked off by community specialist paramedic Carol Robertson from North West Ambulance Service, who used a break in her working day to deliver an insightful presentation on a holistic approach to managing falls.  She shared information on why older people fall and the impact of the ageing process.

James Gough, Head of Quality Improvement at Welsh Ambulance then discussed the incredible work done in Wales to improve falls services using Falls Assistants and Falls Response Teams.  He discussed how the Service had designed and implemented a National Falls Framework and Response Model.

Maisie Sloan, a Falls Team Lead for St Johns Ambulance Cymru then presented on the importance of collaboration.  St John’s has partnered with WAST to address the improvements needed in Falls Services and Maisie called on her experiences with her own mother to discuss some of the issues around a fear of falling.

Amy Hassan,  Bournemouth Intermediate Care Team Lead for Dorset Health Care brought a new element to the webinar talking about the importance of occupational therapy when managing a patient who falls. Amy highlighted the important of OTs and paramedics/ANP working together and the benefits of a collaborative service.

Next, Cathryn James, Clinical Manager Pathways at Yorkshire Ambulance focused on the person on the floor and called upon delegates to look at processes and use lifting equipment where appropriate.  She highlighted that post COVID-19 it is predicted that there will be a ‘tsunami of falls’ and the issue will become a priority in coming months.

In conclusion, Paul Watts, Head of Emergency Medical Services at Mangar Health highlighted some different falls scenarios and the versality of equipment.

Anyone interested in receiving the  presentations and videos from the webinar or a recording of the event, can email marketing@mangarhealth.com for more information.