Sarah Bruce
A north doctor and physiotherapist team have made it to the finals of a national competition with their method of treating patient falls.
Dr Christine McArthur and Lynne Siddiqui are headng for the Advancing Healthcare Awards with a programme that helps people who suffer falls being cared for at home rather than in hospital.
Their Making the Right Call for a Fall initiative was one of 150 entries made for this year’s awards, which are sponsored by all four UK governments and organisations.
Dr McArthur, NHS Highland coordinator, prevention and management of falls, and Ms Siddiqui, lead community physiotherapist, were both nominated for the Scottish Government’s award category for improving quality: measuring and demonstrating impact.
Dr McArthur said: “It’s fantastic. I feel really honoured that our work is up for this award.”
The initial project work in Argyll and Bute was a success, and rolled out to Inverness, Mid and East Ross, Nairn and Caithness.
All other districts in Highland will be implementing their own local methods within the next three months.
The way the system works is that after a fall, an ambulance is called and the crew then make an assessment whether the person who fell needs to go to hospital. They also give the patient a full check-up. After the ambulance visit, the patient then receives a full follow-up screening and risk assessment, and a plan for ongoing support in the community is tailored to his or her circumstances.
The winners will be announced at a celebration lunch at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel, in London on Friday 15 April.
