An emergency chair which helps lift people after falls has led to a 27% reduction in the number of people admitted to hospital unnecessarily across Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes.
It has saved the NHS more than £100,000 in just 12 months, the trust says.
The Raizer chair has been rolled out gradually to 124 care homes in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes and is providing care home staff with new tools to better support residents. When a resident has a fall, staff use a medically-approved app 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. A single member of staff can then get a resident back on their feet quickly and safely using the chair – with little or no physical effort.
Figures also show that, in addition to the reduction in hospital admissions since the first rollout of the Raizer chairs in July 2022, there has been an 8% fall in A&E attendances from the 124 care locations using the chair in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes.
In the first 90 days since receiving their chair, care locations across Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes reported 780 falls, and used the chairs 401 times – for around half the total falls.
As well as being distressing, a long time lying on the floor can cause further health problems such as pressure damage to the skin. Getting people on their feet again safely and quickly can avoid problems that could lead to a hospital stay.
Sarah Pearson, senior commissioning manager at Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board, said: “Many care homes with the Raizer chair are reporting that fewer ambulances are needed to help residents up from the floor.
"This is better for the person as they don’t need to wait for help, it helps us to look after a person’s dignity and we can better support them in their home, rather than taking them to hospital. It also means we have more ambulances available locally to respond to emergency calls.
“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.”
Staff at local care homes have hailed the impact which the new chairs have had.
Dawn Maguire, Manager of Chase House Care Home in Arlesey, said: “It is possibly the best piece of equipment to come into the care sector for years. It’s easy to use and kind to the person who is being assisted by it.”
Staff at another care home – Burlington Hall in Woburn Sands – have reported that residents feel safer in the Raizer chair, which is also much more practical than a hoist in small spaces such as bathrooms. The home’s general manager Anda Marin described the new device as “a godsend” in the management of falls, which remain a common hazard for older people.
The Raizer chair is one of many innovations that the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board is investing in to improve care locally. The new Digitising Social Care programme helps care to implement technologies which reduce falls, help people to stay at home and live independently for longer and share care records, so that health and care professionals can access up to date information at the touch of a button, when they need it most. For care homes, digitalisation can save time, effort and resources, ultimately freeing up staff to spend more time caring for residents.
Find out more about Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Health and Care Partnership’s Digitising Social Care programme here.
