Central Bedfordshire has the highest number of emergency hospital admissions caused by falls in the region, councillors have been told.

A meeting of the Health and Wellbeing Board (Wednesday, October 1) was told a new Falls Prevention Service was launched last month.

It is being rolled out in an attempt to reduce avoidable accidents among older residents. The service, provided by East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT) and developed in collaboration with Central Bedfordshire Council, went live on September 8.

The scheme offers a coordinated pathway for residents at risk of falling, with referrals accepted from anyone via a single point of access. It is designed to complement existing services such as Active Lifestyles, the Reablement Falls Response Team, and urgent community response teams.

Alongside the service, GaitSmart technology is being trialled at four sites, including Grove View and Priory Gardens in Central Beds. The device measures walking ability and provides personalised exercise plans to reduce risk.

Councillor Mark Smith (The Independent Alliance, Ampthill) highlighted the report’s figures showing Central Bedfordshire leads the region for hospital admissions due to falls.

But when asked why the rate is so high, officials admitted there is no single clear explanation. Kaysie Conroy, head of Central Bedfordshire Place at Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board, said: “There’s been a lot of work around falls, particularly in Central Bedfordshire.

“[But] there is nothing that clearly came out as to[explain] why it is showing as a higher place in terms of the falls,

“We continue to a lot of work into looking at how we can do further fall prevention and supporting the reduction of hospital presentations.”

Vicky Head, the council’s director of public health, said the local picture reflects the area’s older population, adding that while hip fracture rates are slightly above average, they are not “statistically significant” compared to England as a whole.

Healthwatch warned that the new service risks missing key opportunities unless it links up with ambulance crews and patient transport teams, who often spot hazards such as trip risks in homes.

The report presented to the Board said Central Bedfordshire’s population forecast to grow by nearly a third by 2043, with most of it in older age groups.