Overview

While you stay in hospital, we all need to work together to enable you to stay safe but mobile. 

This information explains how you can reduce the chance of a slip, trip or fall when you are in hospital. It covers:

• why it can be easier to lose your balance when you are recovering in hospital
• what you can do to stay safe in hospital
• how your family and friends can help to reduce the risk of falls while you are in hospital
• how some medicines increase the risk of falling
• what staff do to reduce your risk of falling in hospital
• what happens if you have a fall in hospital

If you have any questions, please speak to a health professional caring for you.

Losing your balance while you recover

When recovering in hospital from an illness, injury or surgery, it can be easier to lose your balance if you are:

• tired or short of breath
• light-headed, dizzy or faint
• in pain
• anxious or confused
• unsteady on your feet

Safety tips in hospital

Here are ways to stay safe when you are in hospital:

• Tell staff about your fall history. Let staff know if you have fallen in the past year, are worried about falling, or have a history of falls.
• Use your call bell and ask for help before moving, especially when going to the toilet.
• Use your walking aid. Keep it nearby, check the rubber tips and avoid leaning on hospital furniture, which may move.
• Wear safe footwear. Choose shoes or slippers that fit well, grip well and will not slip off your feet.
• Get up carefully. Sit on the edge of the bed for a moment, stand slowly and make sure that you feel steady before walking.
• Try simple leg exercises first. Point and release your toes, tighten and relax your calves, and move your legs to encourage circulation.
• Stop, sit or lie down if you feel dizzy and tell staff straight away.
• Keep your space clear. Know your surroundings and ask staff to move clutter if your path is not clear.
• Be careful in the bathroom. Ask staff if you need help washing or using the toilet.
• Use your glasses, keep them clean and wear them as prescribed. Ask for help if you cannot see clearly.
• Eat and drink regularly. If you stay nourished and hydrated, this will help to prevent weakness and dizziness.
• Speak to your doctor about vitamin D. The government advice is that everyone should think about taking a daily vitamin D supplement during the autumn and winter. You need this nutrient to keep your bones, teeth and muscles healthy.

How family and friends can help

Your family, friends and carers can help to reduce the risk of falls while you are in hospital. They can give useful information to staff, especially if you are too unwell to do so.

Checklist for family and friends

We recommend that your family, friends and carers follow this checklist to help reduce the risk of falls in hospital:

Medicines and the risk of falling

Some medicines increase the risk of falling. These include medicines that:

• make you relaxed and sleepy (cause sedation)
• affect your blood pressure

The doctor or pharmacist on your ward will explain if you need any changes to your medicines to make you less likely to fall.

What staff do to reduce your risk of falling in hospital

The risk of falling increases when you are in hospital, but there are many ways to avoid slips, trips and falls. 

Everyone admitted to our hospitals has a falls risk assessment. This assessment helps us to find what might make you more likely to fall. We can then plan how to reduce the risk. 

If the assessment shows that you are at risk of falling, we will take extra steps to protect your safety in hospital:

• We will talk to you about any previous times that you have fallen, especially in the last year.
• We will check if you have suitable footwear. Your shoes should be secure to your feet with a back. We may give you non-slip socks to wear if it is not safe for you to walk in your shoes.
• We will check that you have your glasses, hearing aids or walking aids, if you need them. It is important that you always keep these nearby.
• We will check your balance, movement, muscle strength and how you walk.
• We will review your medicines because some can make you feel dizzy or sleepy (drowsy).

If you have a fall in hospital

If you fall in hospital when nobody is there and manage to get back up, please tell a member of staff as soon as possible.

If you fall, staff will give you emergency treatment that is suitable for your needs.

We may refer you to a doctor for a medical review. A physiotherapist will check your movement, and a pharmacist will review your medicines.