Talking best practice in falls prevention

Jill Poole, health and wellbeing manager at the Trust, attended the first North of England falls summit recently to speak about best practice in falls prevention.

The event, led by The Improvement Academy, was attended by over 200 delegates and a range of guest speakers all aiming to reduce the number of falls. Jill, was invited to the event to speak about her work with Ariva buses in Wakefield.

Speaking alongside Roger Goode a passenger safety adviser for Arviva, Jill spoke about the team’s 18 month project to find out why older adults were falling on Ariva buses. Jill and the Trust’s health and wellbeing team worked alongside passengers and drivers to look at the barriers of public transport and the issues that prevented people from using buses.

Jill said, “After we’d spoken to both the passengers and drivers, we realised that both were saying the same thing. Drivers wanted passengers to stay seated whilst the bus stops and make sure they pressed the bell. Passengers asked for drives to wait until they sat down before setting off and ensure they stopped at the right place.

Jill’s team delivered feedback sessions to drivers and undertook health checks and safety training on buses. They also told drivers about the impact falling has on older adults – giving them a greater understanding of their worries when travelling on public transport.

Following the project, Ariva saw a 16% reduction in falls on their buses in Wakefield. The Ariva team in Wakefield has also gone on to undertaken ‘Dementia Friends’ training as part of their ongoing partnership work with the Trust’s health and wellbeing team.

Jill’s speech at the event received a range of positive comments from those attending. Jill said, “Speaking at the event helped to show that simple and inexpensive things can make a huge difference and can really help to achieve some great results.”