Number of hospital admissions in Barnsley for elderly due to falls highest in Yorkshire

Barnsley’s emergency hospital admissions due to falls in people aged 80 and over in 2019/20 were 815 per 100,000, the highest in the region and above the national average.

Barnsley Council is set to commission a new programme to help keep older people fit and active in a bid to reduce injuries through falls.

A pilot programme, run by Age Uk since 2021, has been successful, offering more than 180 different activities across Barnsley, with more than 2,000 people taking part.

Of those, 99 per cent reported that their levels of physical activity increased, and 97 per cent reported their mental wellbeing increased.

The council says it is ‘essential’ that this programme continues, as it helps older people improve their strength and balance, reducing their risk of falls and reducing pressure on the health and social care system.

It is proposed that Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council will commission a provider for three years from April 2024 to March 2027, with the option to extend for an additional two years should funding be identified.

It is proposed that the contract is commissioned at the annual value of £185,000 and will be funded jointly by healthier communities, which will contribute £85,000, and £100,000 from the council’s adult social care budget.

A report to the council’s cabinet, to be discussed on December 13, states that as the borough’s over 65 population increases, as will hospital admissions for falls.

It adds that falls are estimated to cost the NHS more than £2.3 billion annually.