Directly age standardised rate for hospital admissions in people aged 65 and over for the years 2005/06 and 2006/07.
Hip fracture is a major cause of disability and the leading cause of mortality due to injury in older people aged 75 and over. Hospital admissions for fracture neck of femur are a good proxy measure of the incidence of hip fracture in older people. Falls prevention programmes aim to reduce the incidence of fracture neck of femur in the community. Hip fracture is the most common injury related to falls in older people. More than 95% of hip fractures is adults aged 65 and older are caused by a fall. Hip fractures in the elderly and frail can lead to loss of mobility and loss of independence. For many older people it is the event that forces them to leave their homes and move into residential care. Mortality after hip fracture is high: around 30% at one year. Standard 6 of the National Service Framework for Older People aims to “reduce the number of falls which result in serious injury and ensure effective treatment and rehabilitation for those who have fallen”. A New Ambition for Old Age (DH 2006) which outlines the next steps in implementing the NSF lists falls and bone health as one of its 10 programmes and outlines the components of integrated falls services. There is NICE guidance on the assessment and prevention of falls in older people. Studies have also indicated that falls prevention services can reduce falls.
This indicator has been discontinued and so there will be no further updates.
Legacy unique identifier: P01066