Opera Beds report reveals most UK hospitals saw an increase in elderly falls last year
A new report by Opera Beds has revealed that 57 per cent of UK hospitals saw an increase in elderly falls last year.
Opera Beds sent freedom of information (FOI) requests to local NHS trusts and ambulance services to find which trusts have seen the biggest spike in fall-related emergency admissions for over-65s in the last three years. The fall-related data is based on responses from 21 NHS trusts and 7 ambulance services.
In 2024 alone, there were over 284,280 ambulance callouts and 50,000 hospital admissions for fall-related emergencies among over-65-year-olds across the NHS.
Across the UK, ambulance services respond to approximately 700,000 emergency calls for falls among patients aged 65 and over between 2022 and 2024.
Key findings include almost one in six falls at home for people over 65 in the UK are from a bed, and 90 per cent of UK NHS Trusts have seen an increase in emergency hospital admissions for over 65s since 2022.
Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust’s fall-related emergency admissions have increased by 50 per cent more than the national average between 2022 and 2024.
Over 65s in Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust spend an average of more than two and a half weeks in hospital after a fall, six days more than the national average.
Additionally, over 3.3 million ambulance callouts were made for over 65s in the UK last year.
Birmingham NHS Trust was found to have the most hospital admissions for people aged 65 and over.
The following information reveals which UK NHS Trusts have seen the most emergency admissions for people aged 65 and over since 2022.
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust with 202,609 hospital admissions for over 65s, Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust with 174,821 hospital admissions for over 65s, and East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust with 133,184 hospital admissions for over 65s between 2022 and 2024.
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust saw 62,688 emergency hospital admissions for over 65s in 2022, 67,034 in 2023, and 72,887 in 2024.
Mid And South Essex NHS Foundation Trust saw 55,767 emergency hospital admissions for over 65s in 2022, 58,685 in 2023, and 60,369 in 2024.
East Suffolk And North Essex NHS Foundation Trust saw 42,800 emergency hospital admissions for over 65s in 2022, 43,962 in 2023, and 46,422 in 2024.
The information also revealed Emergency hospital admissions for over 65s have skyrocketed by 128 per cent at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust since 2022.
When looking at all responses from NHS Trusts on emergency admissions for those aged 65 and older, national figures have increased by 13 per cent between 2022 and 2024, from 1,217,023 to 1,372,512.
The following rank reveals which NHS Trusts have seen the most significant increase since 2022, based on 49 FOI responses.
Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust saw a 68 per cent increase in hospital admissions for over 65s since 2022, and Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust saw a 55 per cent increase.
Since 2022, University Hospitals Of Derby And Burton NHS Foundation Trust has recorded almost double the number of fall-related hospital admissions for over 65s than the next biggest trust, with 26,326 fall-related emergency admissions for over 65s.
Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust recorded 14,821, and East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust saw 13,294 fall-related emergency admissions for over 65s.
It was also revealed that fall-related emergency admissions have increased by 53 per cent for over 65s at Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust between 2022 and 2024.
To determine which areas of the home result in the most emergency fall hospital admissions, the figures from 7 FOI responses were compared, which revealed more than half of all home-related falls for over 65s are due to slipping, tripping and stumbling on the same level.
Elderly people who have a positive attitude towards ageing will recover better if they have a fall, according to a study conducted by researchers at Imperial College London and Coventry University.
