People living in the community
If you are looking to signpost a person living in the community to local information that can help reduce their risk of falls, you can direct them to this page: https://westlothianhscp.org.uk/article/29190/Falls-Prevention
Care Home Residents
If a care home resident has had recent falls, worsening or increasing falls, or is at risk of falls, referrals to services that can support them can be made by the care home, their GP, or a range of professionals. Find out more from the dedicated care homes website
Multifactorial Falls Assessment
The set-up of a community Single Point of Contact (SPoC) has been a key initial priority of the West Lothian Home First Programme. The SPoC allows the professional referrer to have easy and efficient access to community and third sector services.
For Falls, a referral can be made to a Falls Assessor who will carry out a multifactorial falls and bone health assessment.
How can someone be referred?
If a GP (or another health/social care professional) feels that someone would benefit from urgent community support, they should contact the SPoC team. SPoC takes referrals for West Lothian residents who are over the age of 18.
They can be contacted on telephone number: 01506 284848
What is covered in the multifactorial assessment can be viewed in the document below:
Risk of Admission
The SPoC provides health and social care professionals (i.e. GPs, Scottish Ambulance Service crews, district nurses) easy and efficient access to community and third sector pathways for their patients/service users as an alternative to hospital admission.
They can be contacted on telephone number: 01506 284848
Assistance to get up off the floor
Crisis Response is a 24-hour falls prevention service operated by West Lothians Health and Social Care Partnership providing specialist assistance for individuals who are at risk of falling, who have fallen within their own home or to respond to telecare alerts. Assistance will be provided to those who have fallen and are uninjured to maximise independence and minimise risk of falling in the future.
How do people access this service?
If someone falls, they can press their pendant and West Lothian Careline will request Crisis Response to attend.
If someone does not have a pendant, they can telephone West Lothian Careline on 0330 6782395. Operators will then send a request to Crisis Response to attend.
For more information, please visit the West Lothian health and social care partnership crisis response page
Community Alarms
Telecare Home Safety Service offers a broad range of devices designed to keep someone safe at home or summon assistance in an emergency. Services are mainly used by older people or people with disabilities but can also support people with significant health problems.
Further information can be found at westlothianhscp.org.uk
Staying active to prevent falls
The Ageing Well project promotes healthy lifestyles for adults over 50 in West Lothian. It aims to increase the expectation of good health in later life with activities that improve physical health, mental health and wellbeing. Activities include walks, dancing, exercise, singing, knitting and swimming. Further information can be obtained on the Xcite leisure website
The Heath and Wellbeing team support people with long term conditions to become more active, manage their condition through exercise and live better in their community. The team work with GP’s, nurses, physios, mental health teams, link workers and a whole host of health and social care professionals to provide information on how to encourage people to become active through evidence based programmes.
The Referral Process
People must be referred by GP, health Professional or agreed Link worker or if already an Xcite member, people should contact their chosen site for a personal programme review.
More information can be obtained by contacting the Health and wellbeing team on 01506 237950 or by emailing healthandwellbeing@westlothianleisure.com
Medication Review
Medication is reviewed as part of the multifactorial assessment. For patients with medication that may be affecting their falls risk a medication review can also be provided by their GP or by NHS Lothian Community Pharmacy Champions by emailing PCPteam@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk.
Community Equipment
Equipment can be issued on loan to a wide variety of people who require assistance in order to remain independent in the community. The equipment ranges from toileting aids (including a range of continence products) to more specialised beds and hoists. Further information can be found at westlothianhscp.org.uk/article/29226/Community-Equipment-Store
