Falls Consultant Geriatrician Clinic Referrals Review: Improving Access to Multi-professional Falls Services.

Introduction:

In 2022, new Consultant Therapist roles were recruited to the Care of the Elderly Team at Wrexham Maelor Hospital, when n=189 people were waiting to see a Consultant Geriatrician for falls. The longest wait was n=658 days. A waiting list review commenced in partnership with Community Falls Prevention, Physiotherapy, Pharmacy and Occupational Therapy, Welsh Ambulance services. People with long waits for Falls Clinic were assessed by a Consultant Therapist at home, which saw a reduction in the overall waiting list and highlighted the risk that people were not being referred to the right service at the right time.

Method:

This poster describes an observational quality improvement activity undertaken in practice. The project has followed PDSA cycles and adapted to service changes. Consultant Therapist home assessments ceased 2023 and session allocated to weekly triage of Falls Consultant Clinic referrals. Falls triage included reviewing multi-professional clinical information from a range of electronic records / sources.  Data was collected between January 2024 – December 2025 using Microsoft Excel, identifying descriptive statistics to referral patterns and triage outcomes. The outcomes would inform falls service partnerships and pathways; improve quality and safety of triage decision-making and service provision.

Results:

N=679 referrals to Falls Consultant Clinic were recorded and triaged over 24 months. Over 85% of referrals received from Primary Care; 51% of new had no occupational therapy or physiotherapy input in the preceding two years; and only 13% had received involvement from community falls prevention services. The Falls Consultant Clinic waiting list has reduced to n=56 with a maximum wait of n=96 days.

Conclusion:

By approaching triage of referrals to Consultant Falls Clinic differently, more people are being seen in a timely manner, there are fewer long waits and more people are being seen by the right service, in the right place, at the right time.