Preventing falls

Falls in hospital can occur due to the unfamiliar environment, when you are feeling unwell and when you are taking certain medications.

Before you come to hospital

Make sure you bring the following items with you for your hospital stay:

Your glasses
Your hearing aids
Your walking stick or frame (labelled with your name)
Comfortable flat non-slip shoes with laces or Velcro to fasten them on your feet
Your current medications and tablets - these will be checked while you are in hospital

To help prevent falls, you can let us know if:

You have fallen before, at home and out and about, or have been feeling dizzy recently
You have difficulties with your feet or legs, or feel you are having problems with your balance
Your medications make you drowsy, confused or affect your coordination
You have times when you need to go to the toilet urgently, to avoid an accident

To help prevent falls while you are in hospital, try to:

Ask your nurse and doctor about your risk of falls and individual falls prevention plan
Call, don't fall. Call us if you need help when moving or walking. Ask staff for assistance and wait until they come to help you
Look out for hazards that may cause a fall, such as spills and clutter and tell staff about them promptly
Take your time when getting up from sitting or lying down and let staff know if you feel unwell or unsteady on your feet
Wear comfortable non-slip shoes that fit you well. If you don’t have any well fitting shoes in hospital, ask your nurse for non-slip socks