HC Deb 09 March 2004 vol 418 cc1453-4W
Mr. Burstow

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of falls in people aged over 60 was to(a) the NHS and (b) personal social services in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [156646]

Fires 1,2 in care homes for elderly people by fire and Rescue Authority area, 1997–2002
Fire and Rescue Service area 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 20023
England 935 940 1,041 851 738 780
Avon 12 10 13 12 38 27
Bedfordshire 9 12 1 0 4 10
Berkshire 15 9 35 16 30 21
Buckinghamshire 26 70 61 30 22 10
Cambridgeshire 0 16 0 10 1 11
Cheshire 36 38 10 22 29 30
Cleveland 15 18 10 21 10 6
Cornwall 16 13 25 15 15 0
Cumbria 5 15 25 20 14 14
Derbyshire 19 5 16 11 11 11
Devon 33 37 34 40 16 20
Dorset 6 0 4 6 9 11
Durham 10 13 12 13 4 4
East Sussex 5 14 13 5 6 26
Essex 13 13 18 11 10 24
Gloucestershire 13 8 0 9 6 5
Hampshire 10 6 6 20 0 6
Hereford and Worcester 28 34 30 21 20 13
Hertfordshire 75 66 75 24 13 25
Humberside 15 15 16 7 6 12
Isle of Wight 0 5 4 1 1 0
Kent 56 30 36 21 5 21
Lancashire 23 14 41 24 12 30
Leicestershire 4 13 0 22 12 15
Lincolnshire 1 11 7 13 12 17
Norfolk 6 0 3 10 9 4
North Yorkshire 1 1 9 13 27 12
Northamptonshire 54 35 64 18 30 10
Northumberland 14 6 15 17 11 10
Nottinghamshire 10 15 3 8 14 9
Oxfordshire 6 0 16 0 4 13
Shropshire 6 6 13 4 5 6
Somerset 0 5 5 10 6 17
Staffordshire 18 25 34 29 16 7
Suffolk 1 2 28 10 4 5
Surrey 5 19 20 30 6 9
Warwickshire 17 5 7 4 5 18
West Sussex 0 10 15 5 15 15
Wiltshire 29 18 12 18 14 18
Greater Manchester 34 43 69 32 57 51
Merseyside 23 15 27 23 7 12
South Yorkshire 15 16 8 23 24 12
Tyne and Wear 47 31 39 47 43 48
West Midlands 108 101 94 76 71 63
West Yorkshire 19 31 12 26 19 25
London 75 68 56 58 43 49
1 Including late call and heat and smoke damage incidents.
2 Figures are based on sampled data weighted to agreed FRA totals.
3 Excludes strike days in November 2002.
Source:
Fire and Rescue Authority returns to ODPM.

Dr. Ladyman

The actual cost of falls to the national health service and to personal social services is not recorded centrally. Hip fractures are the most common serious injury resulting from falls in older people. The national service framework for older people estimated the cost to the NHS of hip fractures at around £1.7 billion per annum for England.