Falls are the largest cause of emergency hospital admissions for older people, and significantly impact on long term outcomes. Falls that results in injury can be very serious - approximately 1 in 20 older people living in the community experience a fracture or need hospitalisation after a fall.

Hip fracture is a debilitating condition – only one in three sufferers return to their former levels of independence and one in three ends up leaving their own home and moving to long-term care.

Hospital admissions due to falls

• The rate of hospital admissions due to falls in Oxfordshire county has remained above the national average.
• In 2020/21 there was a total of 3,005 people in Oxfordshire aged 65 and over admitted as an emergency following a fall. This was slightly below the number in 2019/20 (3,165).
• The districts with the highest rates of admissions due to falls were Cherwell and Oxford City. Each remained above the national average.
• The rate in Cherwell is increasing (comparison over 5 years).

Hospital admissions due to hip fractures

• There has been a decline in the rate of admissions due to hip fractures in Oxfordshire county and nationally.
• In 2020/21 there was a total of 655 people in Oxfordshire aged 65 and over admitted as an emergency with a hip fracture. This was below the number in 2019/20 (720).
• As with falls, the districts with the highest rates of admissions due to hip fractures were Cherwell and Oxford City. Each remained similar to the national average.

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