Falls Risk Assessment
Clinical careCare homes
Record a resident's falls history, risk factors and the plan to reduce their risk of falls. Use it on admission, after a fall and at each review.
Pages
Description
A falls risk assessment without a score
Many falls risk assessment templates end in a score or a risk level. NICE guideline NG249, which replaced the older falls guideline CG161, says not to use falls risk prediction tools to predict a person's risk of falling. So this form has no score. It records the risk factors staff find and what the home is doing about each one.
NICE recommends that people in residential care are offered a comprehensive falls assessment by a trained healthcare professional or team, and this form gathers what care staff already know so that the home can make that referral and plan care in the meantime.
When to complete it
Fill it in when a resident moves in, after any fall, when their condition changes, and at each planned review.
What the form covers
Twelve sections take you from the resident's details to the signatures. The core of it is:
consent and capacity, including best interests decisions and who else was consulted
falls history over the last 12 months, using the questions NICE sets for a comprehensive assessment
risk factors from NICE's list, such as blood pressure, delirium, footwear, medicines, continence, sight and bone health
a room and equipment check, from the call bell to bed height and trailing cables
referrals to the falls service, GP or pharmacist, physiotherapist, occupational therapist and others
a plan built on the NG249 recommendations for residential care, including a structured medication review and an exercise programme where suitable
what to do after a fall, including CQC, RIDDOR, duty of candour and safeguarding checks
Agreeing the plan
Agree each action with the resident, or in their best interests. Respect their wish to stay active, even when that carries some risk: where a resident chooses to accept a risk after discussion, the form has a place to record it.
This falls risk assessment template is for care homes. After a fall, record any injury on a Body Map Form and the event in the Accident & Incident Log. Where a resident may lack capacity for a decision, use the Mental Capacity Assessment Form.
