Cambridge Living Streets investigates trips and falls

We have started to research the figures for treatment and admissions to local hospitals resulting from trips and falls on pavements. The UK population is ageing and in Cambridge 29.7% of the population is over 65 (UK Census Report, 2021).

A research report by National Living Streets ‘Pedestrian Slips, Trip and Falls: an evaluation of their causes, impact, scale and cost’ (2023) at https://www.livingstreets.org.uk estimated that 10% of the over 65 age group experiences a trip or fall each year, many of these on local streets. The costs to the NHS are rising year on year, but their calculations suggest falls and their true costs remain underreported. We want to understand the impact for the NHS in Cambridge.

A strategic approach to footway repair could, for a fraction of the cost of highways repairs, save lives, prevent disabilities and reduce NHS/social care costs, many of which occur in the months after initial hospital discharge.