Overview
This quality standard covers prevention of falls and assessment after a fall in people who are living in the community, in a residential care setting or staying in hospital and are:
- aged 65 or over, or
- aged 50 to 64 with 1 or more factors that could increase their risk of falls
It describes high-quality care in priority areas for improvement.
Last reviewed: 29 April 2025
Changes have been made to align this quality standard with the updated NICE guideline on falls. For more information, see update information.
How to use NICE quality standards and how we develop them
Quality standards help you improve the quality of care you provide or commission. They apply in England and Wales (see the UK government website and Welsh government website). Decisions on how they apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland are made by ministers in the Scottish government and Northern Ireland Executive.
Find out how to use quality standards and how we develop them.
This quality standard was previously called falls in older people.
Endorsing bodies
This quality standard is endorsed by NHS England and Department of Health and Social Care as required by the Health and Social Care Act (2012).
Supporting organisations
A number of organisations recognise the benefit of this quality standard in improving care. They work with us to promote it to commissioners and service providers: