A joint venture between NHS Forth Valley and Falkirk Council has been recognised as one of the best collaborative services in the national care sector.

The Falkirk Falls Management Project – which is a partnership between Falkirk Council’s Mobile Emergency Care Service, Scotland’s Fire Service and NHS Forth Valley’s Rehabilitation Services – won the ‘Working Better, Working Together’ award at the recent Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) Care Accolades.

Nearly 200 people gathered for the ceremony in Perth, to recognise the extraordinary people and diverse services in Scotland. The finalists and guests heard stories of ground breaking partnership working and the heart-warming efforts made by social service workers and their organisations.

Anna Fowlie, Chief Executive of the Scottish Social Services Council said:

 The awards are an inspiring reminder of why we do what we do and of all the fantastic work going on in our sector. For the judges, it is incredibly difficult to choose our winners from all the outstanding entries we receive. This year we received our highest ever number of entries with many projects worthy of an Accolade. It was a pleasure to meet all of this year’s finalists, from the workers to the people who use the services. Each finalist should be extremely proud of their achievements at the awards.”

The Falkirk Falls Management Project started in 2002 and aims to provide:

•     Early identification of fallers
•     Multi-factorial assessment by Council’s Mobile Emergency Care Service staff which includes provision of equipment, check of the environment and provision of verbal / written advice
•     Referral to health for therapeutic input which may include the ReACH Team, Rehabilitation Centre at Forth Valley Royal Hospital
•     Home Fire safety assessment
•     Continuous falls monitoring

Jillian Rae – NHS Forth Valley’s Service Co-ordinator for the Falkirk Rehabilitation and Care at Home (ReACH) team, said:

 During the course of the project the rate of falls in across the Falkirk area has substantially reduced resulting in significant savings for health and social care services.  There has also been a high rate of patient and carer satisfaction with increased levels of self esteem and confidence.”

Falkirk Council’s Liz McGhee – Service Manager for Falkirk Council’s Care and Support at Home Services added:

 Working together is often seen as a challenge, however staff involved in this project have shown through their belief and commitment that it is possible to remove the barriers that are often present among us, to produce a high quality service, valued by not only the service users but the staff themselves. I am delighted to add my congratulations to all involved.”