Switching to decaffeinated hot drinks in care homes could unlock an almost-£100m saving for the NHS, according to a landmark new trial.
A study was conducted between June 2023 and November 2023 to investigate whether decaffeinated hot drinks could reduce the amount of falls suffered by people rushing to the toilet in care homes.
The report found that doing so resulted in a 35% reduction in toileting-related falls, which, if scaled up, could lead to thousands of prevented falls and up to £85m in annual savings.
The research has been jointly published by:
- Care England
- University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (UHL)
- Stow Healthcare
Care England’s Chief Executive, Professor Martin Green OBE, said: “For such a simple, cost-neutral solution to have such a profound impact is extraordinary.
“With a huge national focus on reducing pressure on the NHS, this pioneering trial demonstrates that simple solutions can help address enormous challenges.”
The trial followed a similar project at UHL in 2021, led by continence nurse specialist, Sarah Coombes – within three months the NHS trust found that toileting-related falls had been cut by 30% in the hospital.
“Ever since implementing the original ‘Taste the Difference Challenge’ at UHL, my dream has been to see it rolled out nationally and into the community setting,” said Sarah.
“I hope that this will inspire other care providers to follow suit and to promote this simple change to improve patients’ continence and reduce the risk of falls.”
For people of over 75, falls are the most common cause of injury-related death and people living in care homes are three times more likely to suffer a fall than those living at home.
The saving is based on the estimation that fragility fractures in social care cost the NHS £1.1bn a year, and the cost of the associated prevented falls and hospital admissions.
Andrew Selous MP, chair of the APPG on bladder and bowel incontinence care, said the trial’s findings are “extremely encouraging.”
He added: “At a time when our NHS and social care system are facing real pressure, decaffeination appears to have emerged as a solution hidden in plain sight.”
Image credit: iStock
