The digital health initiative was piloted across 37 care homes in Bury using a deterioration management and multifactorial falls prevention app.

The SafeSteps collaboration between Bury Integrated Delivery Collaborative (IDC), Primary Care, Local Authority, SafeSteps, and Health Innovation Manchester, is aiming to improve early intervention and proactive health management.

The project has achieved encouraging early results in terms of preventing falls in care homes and reducing the logistical and financial pressure on the local ambulance service.

According to North West Ambulance Service data, falls in the Bury care homes fell from 83 in Jan-Mar 2023 to 51 in the same quarter in 2024 – a reduction of 38%, resulting in a reduction of 35 to 15 ambulances treating patients at care homes (57%), and a further 12% reduction in patients being conveyed to hospital. The rest of Greater Manchester saw a 10% overall rise in falls in Q1 2024.

Analysts predict the initiative could save NHS Greater Manchester almost £500k over the year and one less person will die as the result of a fall.

Lee Omar, CEO of Safe Steps, commented, “If we were to model the reduction of falls in Bury across Greater Manchester, this amounts to a saving of £5.1million in just 12 months. This could help tackle current NHS financial pressures as well as reducing the pressure on ambulance staff and improving the quality of life for people living in care homes.”

Clare Hunter, Project Manager at Bury Integrated Delivery Collaborative, continued, “The success of the Bury initiative was sustained as a collaborative approach through system partners being engaged and committed, driving change locally in digital transformation. This new concept not only improves patient care, ensuring that the person is treated in the right place at the right time but also streamlines processes making clinical time more effective and efficient within primary care and secondary care, as well as alleviating pressures on North West Ambulance Service.”

Feedback from care home staff across Bury has been positive. Nikki, the manager of Bankfield Residential Home, praised the app for its ease of use and efficiency, which has enhanced weekly GP ward rounds and replaced cumbersome paper assessments. This sentiment was echoed by staff at Brookfield Residential Home, who reported improved communication and coordination with GPs using the SafeSteps dashboard.

Dr Saif Ahmed, Clinical Lead for Transformation at Health Innovation Manchester, said, “To achieve a 57% reduction in ambulance call outs in Bury when the number is increasing across Greater Manchester is a phenomenal achievement. It’s not only a testament to the transformative impact of proactive technology, but to effective collaboration between healthcare providers and industry, ultimately resulting in better outcomes for care home residents.”

The success of the SafeSteps initiative in Greater Manchester serves as a model for other regions. The project’s outcomes and best practices have been shared at several forums, including the Greater Manchester Falls Collaborative event, encouraging broader adoption of these digital tools.

A comprehensive evaluation paper will be published by Health Innovation Manchester to further support the case for Safe Steps implementation and associated change methodology across other localities in Greater Manchester.