A seven-month pilot run by London Ambulance Service NHS Trust, in partnership with national volunteering organisation Royal Voluntary Service, has helped reduce the number of emergency calls and visits to A&E amongst frequent fallers in two London boroughs.

The active ageing pilot ran from November 2017 to May 2018 and was set up to decrease the number of falls in two London boroughs, with a goal of reducing demand on both the ambulance service and hospitals as well as improving outcomes in later life.

The pilot ran in Merton and Hackney, where need is particularly high, and tested a new model of ‘mobility volunteers’. Older people who fall frequently and call 999 were referred to Royal Voluntary Service, who then paired local volunteers with clients. These volunteers visited clients in their homes and worked with them for a period of 6-8 weeks to improve their physical function and wellbeing.

Following 6-8 weeks of volunteer intervention, the active ageing pilot had a number of positive outcomes. These included a 42% reduction in falls amongst clients *, a 45% decrease in calls from clients to 999 as a result of a fall and a 29% reduction in clients being admitted to A&E.

Clients also showed improved physical function and health and wellbeing. 60% improved on a 30-second Sit to Stand test and almost 70% improved on walking or gait speed in the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test. Furthermore, over one in four felt their health had improved, more than one third felt happier and more confident and one in four said they felt less lonely.

The programme was based on Royal Voluntary Service’s ‘mobility volunteers’ doing one-to-one chair-based exercises with clients, as well as providing advice on hydration and nutrition.  At the end of the 6-8 weeks of visits, volunteers then supported clients to transition to a community exercise programme or other local activities to help them build and maintain their social connections.

During the pilot period, over 70 referrals were received from London Ambulance Service or falls teams working with the ambulance service. A total of 31 very frail clients, the majority of which were 85+ completed the full 6 to 8-week intervention. The pilot focused on recruiting volunteers from underrepresented groups (e.g. BME backgrounds) and a total of 34 volunteers were recruited from a diverse range of backgrounds during the course of the programme.

https://www.royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk/