Serious gaps in the provision of care have been raised in the findings of the Royal College of Physicians national clinical audit, which investigated the organisation of services in the UK for patients who have fallen and sustained fractures.
The national clinical audit conducted by the Royal College of Physicians shows that opportunities to prevent recurrent falls are being missed and that commissioning is variable and rarely provides a co-ordinated falls and fracture strategy. The audit gathered data from a number of NHS organisations but did not include ambulance services although ambulance services deal with a high proportion of older callers who have fallen. Read the RCP press release.
The ASN will be conducting in-depth work on improving care for older people as part of its 2009/10 work programme.