§ Dr. FoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of ambulance call outs to people over the age of(a) 50 years and (b) 65 years in each of the last five years for which figures are available were as a result of a fall. [127350]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonThe information requested is not collected centrally.
The national service framework (NSF) for older people, published in 2001, requires the NHS, working in partnership with councils, to take action to prevent falls and reduce resultant fractures or other injuries in their populations of older people. Older people who have fallen should receive effective treatment and prevention and, with their carers, receive advice on prevention through a specialised falls service. All local health and social care systems should have established this service by April 2005 and achievement of this NSF milestone will be monitored centrally.
§ Dr. FoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much was spent on the funding of falls coordinator posts in England in 2002–03; [127347]
(2) what he estimates to be the cost of (a) all injuries as a result of a fall, (b) hip fractures and (c) osteoporosis to the national health service in the last 12 months; [127348]
(3) how many designated falls co-ordinators are in post in the United Kingdom. [127364]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonI refer the hon. Member to the responses given by my hon. Friends the then Minister of State and the then Under-Secretary of State for Health on 5 March 2003,Official Report, column 1121W.
§ Dr. FoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the progress of local health authorities against the national service framework for older people's 2003 milestone on falls prevention. [127351]
§ Dr. LadymanThe Department of Health will be monitoring formally the overall falls milestone of integrated health and social care falls services by April 2005 as this is included as one of the key targets in "Improvement, Expansion and Reform", the priorities and planning framework for 2003–06. It is now for strategic health authorities to plan, deliver and monitor progress locally on the other falls milestones in the national service framework for older people.