HAMPSHIRE paramedics have helped cut the number of patients involved in falls who have been making needless trips to hospital.

In the last year South Central Ambulance Service has helped 47 per cent of patients who have suffered a fall to be treated in the comfort of their own home.

This is thanks to a new initiative which sees ambulance crews carefully assess each patient who has fallen because immediately taking them to hospital.

Instead, the patient can now be referred to a specialist falls ream, helping to ease pressure on emergency departments and remove the stress of having to be admitted to hospital.

Mark Ainsworth-Smith, SCAS consultant pre-hospital care practitioner, said: “Patients fall for a variety of reasons. Our highly-trained ambulance staff are now carefully assessing falls cases on an individual basis to decide whether patients require hospital admission or not.”