Falls in Care Homes
Care homes in the UK are responsible for the well-being of their residents, particularly in minimising the risk of falls. This duty of care involves recognising the hazards that come with age or the effects of medication on the residents' coordination and balance.
In the United Kingdom, care homes have the important task of keeping their residents safe from harm, particularly the risk of falling, which becomes more likely as people age or take certain medications.
To fulfil this duty, care homes need to carefully identify different hazards that could affect residents’ ability to stay balanced and coordinated. As a result, they have developed a system of precautions to prevent falls. As part of this system, residents go through an assessment process that aims to reduce the risk of falling. This involves adjusting their care routines to help with movement and providing close supervision.
In order to prevent falls, care homes can take various steps, such as making changes to living areas, implementing safety measures in personal living spaces, and ensuring that staff closely monitor residents. However, if care homes do not have a thorough plan in place to prevent falls, they may be at risk of facing legal claims for clinical negligence if a resident experiences a fall that could have been avoided.
Liddy’s Solicitors are dedicated to assisting families in confronting inadequate care that culminates in these incidents. For confidential consultations or help with a claim, our Barnsley or Wakefield offices can be contacted respectively at 01226 731 314 and 01924 780 753, or get in touch with us here.