§ Mr. KidneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will arrange for the dissemination of reports on best practice in the prevention of falls; [8024]
(2) what financial resources he plans to devote to work to prevent falls. [8025]
§ Jacqui SmithFalls are a major cause of disability and the leading cause of death due to injury in older people. Action to address this is detailed in the White Paper "Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation" which set targets to reduce accidental injuries and deaths, and in the National Service Framework (NSF) for Older People. The NSF includes a detailed service model for integrated falls services and milestones for their full adoption across England by April 2005. Staged implementation will help planning, and will be underpinned by an evaluation of the more detailed financial and workforce implications within the additional resources we have allocated to health and social care.