Case study: 82-year-old woman safe and well after fall
The situation:
Our community response manager Sarah Vaughan received a call from the Welsh Ambulance Service about a call that had come in regarding an 82-year-old woman who had fallen outside her home. The woman had a suspected fractured hip and there was no ambulance available to send. It was raining heavily with hailstones, and temperatures were dropping below zero going into the evening. There were concerns that the woman could potentially be outside for several hours which could result in hyperthermia, which was a huge concern.
The solution:
Sarah agreed to immediately send two of our community responders to meet the ambulance service’s Advanced Paramedic Practitioner (APP) at the property to conduct an assessment to give the patient the best possible chance of a quick and full recovery.
The outcome:
The responders provided reassurance and chatted to the patient who was clearly scared, cold and deteriorating. They took her basic observations which were concerning, and they knew that time was an important factor to try and safeguard the patient as quickly as possible. The APP carried out an assessment of the patient and was able to rule out a fracture which meant the patient could be moved. Our responders carry specialist lifting equipment with them, which means the patient could be safely lifted from the ground and helped back into her home and into dry clothes to be warmed up, before being taken to hospital by her family to be checked over. Without this intervention, the patient would have been lying on the ground for an unknown length of time waiting for an ambulance, which could have potentially cost her life.
Sarah said:
“I can’t express the pride I felt when the responders updated me to say that the patient was safely on her way to be checked over and very grateful to all involved. By working so closely with the ambulance service, we are providing better outcomes for patients, and helping to make sure ambulances are sent to where they are needed the most.”