Spotlight on Falls Awareness Week 2025

Injuries caused by falls are a leading cause of hospital admission and death for those aged over 75. On average, there are over 4,000 hospital admissions in Glasgow each year due to a fall.  

Recognising the devastating impact falls can have on people, during Falls Awareness Week 2025, in September, Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) staff organised a range of activities to raise awareness among staff and the public on how to prevent falls.

Our short video helped to spread the message.

Lee Moody, Service Manager, Older People and Primary Care, North East Locality said: “Falls aren’t an inevitable part of ageing and we can all play our part in helping to reduce the likelihood of falls. We want to support individuals in our communities to continue to live well and to be able to continue doing what they love.

“This year during Falls Week, to improve awareness and to offer some practical advice on how to do that, we made Level 1 Falls Training available to all HSCP staff.

“Each locality held events for patients and visitors. Staff were also in the foyer of Gorbals Health and Care Centre and the new Parkhead Hub during the week talking to members of the public and handing our information.”

Cathy Boyle, Team Lead from the North East Rehabilitation and Enablement Service added: “A total of 69 people talked to our staff over the week. There was a mixture of people attending for themselves or on behalf of a family member. We also had a lot of other services’ staff attend who found the information and advice helpful to take back to their service and family members, too. Most people wanted general information on their health and mobility. Staff from Glasgow Life also took part and people found this helpful.”

Sharon Harris, Team Lead, North West Rehabilitation and Enablement Service said: “Over the course of our event held at the Wheatley Group community halls in Maryhill, we engaged with 30 attendees. The majority were women aged between 65 and 85, many of whom expressed concerns about falling with most having experienced one or more falls previously.

“While most participants attended for their own benefit, a few came on behalf of a partner or friend. We were delighted to welcome a representative from the Wheatley Group’s Healthy Eating Initiative, who provided delicious smoothies, ginger shots, and granola bowls. We also had support from our HSCP’s ‘Helpful Hints for Technology’ service, showcasing practical tools to help people stay safe and independent at home.

“Feedback was overwhelmingly positive. They found the sessions highly informative, particularly the advice on hazard awareness, techniques for rising safely after a fall, technology demonstrations, and group exercises.”

Attendees said: “Staff explained everything in simple terms. Having these events are very helpful. Falls week has been great for us. So many tips I never knew about.”

Fiona Taylor, Team Lead, South Sector Rehabilitation and Enablement Service said: “We held Information sessions at local groups including at Castlemilk Parish Church, Shawmill Resource Centre, Orchard Grove Care Home and Dixon Halls, as well as information stalls in Gorbals Health Centre and Castlemilk Seniors Centre. All events were well received by groups and members of the public, who discussed topics around falls and went away with plenty of info for themselves and others.”

Anne Mitchell, our HSCP’s Head of Older People and Primary Care Services, South Locality said: “The positive feedback has demonstrated the value of sharing information about how to prevent falls. Although there was a focus on falls, the level of engagement and enthusiasm across the participants provided an opportunity to have wider conversations about general health and mobility.”  

More information on Falls Prevention is available on NHS inform.

To get involved with our HSCP’s Falls Prevention work email Ggc.Glasgowcityhscpfallsgroup@ggc.scot.nhs.uk.