Supplying local care homes with chairs to lift residents after a fall saves staff time and reduces ambulance call-outs

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

When a resident has a fall, staff use a medically-approved falls assessment to help them 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 callout or a trip to hospital.

Following an initial pilot, the Digitising Social Care programme at Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care System provided 174 Raizer chairs to local care organisations – mostly residential care facilities and nursing homes.

A total of 1,383 falls were recorded in the first 90 days of each provider receiving the Raizer chair, of which almost half were supported by the chair. In most of the other cases, the resident was able to stand up on their own or were lifted by another method, and in 172 cases, an ambulance callout was required – although only 66 trips to hospital were needed.

The findings confirm a number of benefits and an impressive return on investment.

• Fewer avoidable ambulance callouts and trips to hospital: In the 12 months since the chairs were delivered, South Central Ambulance Service saw an 18% reduction in ambulance callouts for Milton Keynes care homes – potentially saving them £3,753, while also freeing up time to respond to other emergencies. Data was not available from East Anglia Ambulance Service for the rest of our area, but if we assume similar figures, there could be a total cost saving of £74,703.

• Improved resident wellbeing and dignity: A resident who completed the Cambridge Community Services Family and Friends Test said: “I had paramedics out before due to a fall, but on this occasion, the rapid response team came out. The Raizer chair was absolutely brilliant, so much more comfortable. I felt safer on it. The nurses were very good at checking me over and made sure I was comfortable at all times. I was really pleased.”

• More efficient use of staff time: As the chair can be safely operated by one member of trained staff (although local care homes still choose to have two staff) and is much quicker than a hoist, the chair has streamlined the response to falls. Over 90 days it saved 219 hours of staff time for 142 care homes – equating to a saving of £4,143. Potentially supporting 2,669 falls a year could save 890 hours or £16,812.

• Fewer avoidable hospital admissions: The Raizer chairs avoided 15 emergency admissions over 365 days – saving £80,475. Preventing these ambulance calls, emergency admissions and A&E attendances saved the system an estimated £163,295 in total, with the potential to free-up 816 hospital bed days a year.

• Enhanced staff satisfaction: Care home staff expressed positive feedback regarding the ease of use, effectiveness, and impact of Raizer chairs on their workload: “Without the Raizer chair, care home staff would typically use a hoist to lift a fallen resident. Hoists can cause a lot of discomfort and anxiety for people being lifted, especially if they have dementia, so this is better for the patient and staff.”

Laura Gibney, manager of Collinson Care Home in Luton, said:

“We have found the chair really useful. I attended the training initially and have then trained my staff how to use it, it is really easy to use and assemble, and we are extremely pleased.”

A further pilot is currently running with domiciliary care providers, and the findings will be evaluated separately in the spring.

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.