People who suffer falls will benefit from a new service, currently operating in some parts of the county, that will now be rolled out across Lancashire from next month.

One third of adults over 65 who live at home will have at least one fall a year, but most falls do not result in serious injury. Those people who fall at home and need lifting - but have no other injuries - will be referred to a response and lifting service when they call 999/111. People needing the service will still call 999 or 111 and will not notice any difference to their standard of care.

The response and lifting service, provided by Progress Housing Association and Vitaline, will:

• quickly respond to help people up and ensure they are comfortable;
• be staffed by fully trained professionals who will check callers for any injuries, and use the appropriate equipment;
• call an ambulance or alert other services when needed.

Healthier Lancashire and South Cumbria’s Executive Director of Transformation, Talib Yaseen, said:

“This is a great example of a county-wide, joined-up service improvement we have made that has been designed to meet the needs of our community.

Residents in Lancashire will now all benefit from this great service that has been successfully running for residents in care homes in Chorley and Greater Preston since December 2016.”

As well as improving the standard of care across Lancashire, the new service will relieve pressure on the ambulance service, freeing it to attend more critical calls.

The response and lifting service is commissioned and funded by a health and social care partnership of NHS and Local Authorities.

Cllr Graham Gooch, Lancashire County Council Cabinet Member for Adult Services, said:

“We know that ultimately people want to stay in their own home and remain as independent as possible. This great service will give more families the confidence for their relative to continue to live independently, knowing there will be someone on hand to help them if they have a fall.

It is fantastic news that this is being rolled out across the whole of Lancashire to benefit our residents.”

NHS and ambulance staff have been informed about the new procedures which come into action on 1 October. For more information healthier.lsc@nhs.net.