Deconditioning information for providers of services for older people and the public
The National Falls Prevention Co-ordination Group (NFPCG) Deconditioning task and finish sub-group have developed a suite of five resources intended to support individuals, health and care professionals and commissioners to take action to help older adults become more active and recondition following activity restrictions in the COVID-19 pandemic.
In response to the recommendations in the Public Health England 2021 COVID-19: wider impacts on people aged 65 and over guidance, which provides an estimation of the impacts of COVID-19 on reduced physical activity and increased falls in older adults and recommendations to mitigate these effects, the National Falls Prevention Co-ordination Group (NFPCG) 'Deconditioning' task and finish sub-group developed a suite of five resources intended to support individuals, health and care professionals and commissioners to take action to help older adults become more active and recondition following activity restrictions in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Addressing re-conditioning through increasing physical activity participation among those living in our local communities is important for falls prevention. Falls prevention is important because it can help to improve lives, increase healthy life expectancy, help people to maintain their well-being and independence and reduce the burden on the NHS and on care homes and social care by reducing hospital admissions.
The five resources are available below.
For health and care professionals
This leaflet is aimed at supporting professionals to have meaningful conversations and support individuals they are in contact with to identify goals and actions to increase their own physical activity. This resource also includes links to useful online signposting resources, and directs individuals to the public-facing deconditioning leaflet (see below) as a printed option.
About the National Falls Prevention Coordination Group (NFPCG)
The National Falls Prevention Coordination Group (NFPCG) is made up of representatives from over 40 organisations, all experts in their field who are involved in the prevention of falls and fractures, care for fall-related injuries and the promotion of healthy ageing and reducing health inequalities.
These include NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSEI), The Office of Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), UKHSA, professional bodies such as the British Geriatrics Society, charities such as Age UK, Care and Repair England, Later Life Training, AGILE, and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP), the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Older People and Frailty Policy Research Unit (PRU), the Royal College of Nursing, the Royal Osteoporosis Society, the Royal College of Occupational Therapy, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), the Royal College of GPs, the emergency services and academic experts from across the UK.
The NFPCG was set up in 2016 and was hosted and chaired by Public Health England, Healthcare Public Health (HCPH) team. It transferred to NHSEI on 1st October 2021. For more information about the NFPCG, please read our 2021 Progress Report here.
The NFPCG is part of a ‘4 Nations Falls Prevention Collective’ group formed in 2021. In 2021 the NFPCG established task and finish groups, including one to address the deconditioning impact of the pandemic and one focusing on eye health and falls prevention - these groups have developed a number of resources for the health and care system, each with a particular focus on reducing health inequalities.