Lockdown to blame for ‘concerning’ surge in number of potentially deadly falls

A top British medical professor has blamed lockdown for a concerning jump in the number of potentially deadly falls suffered by people, The Telegraph can reveal.

Figures for 2022 – the latest full calendar year available – show that the number of calls for ambulances because of falls was more than 16 per cent higher than in each of the previous two years, indicating worrying after-effects of the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021.

Angus Dalgleish, professor of oncology at St George’s Hospital, Tooting, south-west London, said he had “become aware of many people who have fallen over unexpectedly, several with serious injuries” and that “many of these cases are almost certainly related to the detrimental effects of lockdown”. He added: “Immobility, lack of exercise, lack of sunshine and Vitamin D3 all make muscles weaker and the nervous system less able to compensate.”

In the UK, falls are the most common cause of injury-related death in those aged 75 and over, and, according to the NHS, they are the number one cause for older people in the UK having to go to A&E.

Freedom of information requests were submitted to the 13 ambulance trusts in Great Britain for 2020, 2021 and 2022, asking for the numbers of calls to them requiring attendance for falls. The figures show that the calls rose slightly in 2021 but then jumped severely in 2022. In 2022, there were 1,134,653 calls about falls. In 2020, the figure was 971,020 and in 2021 it was 973,316.

Prof Dalgleish said: “All the science, and even the NHS’s own guidance, demonstrates the importance of remaining active as we age. By restricting our opportunities to do this – and in the early lockdowns even limiting the amount of time we could exercise – we imposed rules, which had a significant detrimental effect on health outcomes and, despite its aims to ‘protect the NHS’, could in fact have resulted in people needing hospital treatment they may otherwise have not.

“We must learn from this: keeping mobile and active is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle at any age, but especially as we grow older and lose muscle mass.”

Senior GP Dr Graham Barter said: “By encouraging the elderly to limit their activity and rest excessively, you are going to cause weakness and muscle loss. We need muscles at any age, and particularly when we are older, to help maintain our balance and mobility.”

A 2021 Age UK report found that 17 per cent of older people believed they were more unsteady on their feet than before the pandemic.

Five per cent of falls cause fractures and the cost of fragility fractures to the UK is £4.4 billion each year, of which £1.1 billion is the cost of social care.

The ambulance figures were sought by The Access Group – which provides software to the NHS, local authorities and social care providers, and also pioneers technology that puts vulnerable people in touch with healthcare workers.

Vicky Mudd, Access health support and care clinical director, said: “These statistics show the huge pressure being placed on emergency services and the costs which could be refocused to support the NHS elsewhere. We should be looking to address how we support people who are vulnerable to falls and the staff who work in our health and social care services.

“Technology-enabled care can help prevent a crisis, by using reactive alarms and digital insights to analyse activity and patterns of behaviour. For example, data from digital devices such as personal alarms and hydration cups can monitor trends and activity, flagging a potential hazard before an incident happens, such as a person being dehydrated, leading to an increased likelihood of a fall.

“Devices can also raise alarms to provide assistance, ensuring timely support can be delivered when needed. Real-time data, sensors to enable trend analysis and location-mapping of an individual are all features that technology can deliver now to give individuals the confidence to be independent, knowing that help is at hand if needed.”