Chairs which can lift people who fall in their own homes reduce ambulance call-outs, improve dignity and save resources

A chair which helps lift people safely and quickly in an emergency after a fall has been proven to reduce avoidable ambulance call-outs and associated healthcare costs, improve care, and free-up staff time for other caring duties.

National reports show around one in three adults over 65 and half of people over 80 have at least one fall a year. Approximately 11% of hospital admissions for falls in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes are from care homes, which means 89% are from people living in their own home.

Despite most falls not resulting in a serious injury, the ‘no lifting’ policy for home care providers meant they would either press the individual’s fall alarm (if they have one), call their next of kin, or call for an ambulance. Depending on the time of year, falls can account for 11-17% of ambulance callouts.

Following the rollout of Raizer chairs in care homes, the Digitising Social Care programme at Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care System expanded the project to provide 20 Raizer chairs to 18 local home care providers.   The unit has wheels and folds up into a bag – making it easy for staff to keep in their car and bring into the cared-for person’s home when needed.

Now when someone has a fall, staff use a medically-approved app to check for injury and assess whether an ambulance is needed. If the assessment finds they can be safely lifted, the Raizer chair is assembled around them to lift them up. The less time spent on the floor after a fall, the less likely they are to need an ambulance call-out or a trip to hospital.

Across the 18 home care providers, a total of 164 falls were recorded in the first 90 days since receiving the Raizer chair, of which 37% of falls (60 cases) were supported by the chair. In most of the other cases, the resident was able to stand up on their own or was lifted by another method, and in 49 cases, an ambulance call-out was required – although only 34 trips to hospital were needed.

The findings confirm a number of benefits and estimated savings of £441,845 over one year, or £1,323,535 over three years. These figures are based on the 18 participating providers, but a share of the savings will be seen by the local health and care system. There are in excess of 200 home care providers in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes.

Fewer avoidable ambulance call-outs, trips to hospital and hospital admissions: In the three months (90 days) since the chairs were delivered, there was a 65% reduction in ambulance call-outs by the participating home care providers.

Improved wellbeing and dignity: The Raizer chair offers a more comfortable and dignified experience for local people who have fallen. Positive feedback has been received from individuals who were lifted by the chair. Care Support Bedford Branch reported: “Service users feel happy, comfortable and secure while being raised using the chair. It either reduces or eliminates the 999 calls to paramedics and a lengthy wait on the floor.”

More efficient use of staff time: As staff are now able to lift a fallen individual themselves in more cases, an estimated 180 hours of staff time was saved in the first 90 days across the 18 participating providers.

Enhanced staff satisfaction: Care home staff expressed positive feedback regarding the ease of use, effectiveness, and impact of Raizer chairs on their workload. Churchill Health Care in Luton are very pleased with the chairs: “It has made such a difference. Before, we could have been waiting 6-8 hours for the paramedics and would have to arrange cover for that member of staff. Now if we are called out, we can be back to the office in under two hours.”

The Raizer chairs have empowered caregivers to safely lift fallen individuals – improving wellbeing and lightening the burden on the healthcare system.

To find out more about the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Digitising Social Care programme, visit https://blmkhealthandcarepartnership.org/about/our-priorities/data-and-digital/digitising-social-care-disc-programme or contact the team on blmkicb.digital.socialcare@nhs.net.