ACROSS the UK, ambulance services respond to approximately 700,000 emergency calls related to falls among patients aged 65 and over between 2022 and 2024.

In 2024 alone, there were over 30,632 ambulance callouts for fall-related emergencies among over-65-year-old in Wales. This means the ambulance service receives calls for elderly falls around 3.5 times per hour.

Opera Beds sent Freedom of Information requests to ambulance services to find which trusts have seen the biggest spike in fall-related emergency callouts for over-65s in the last three years. The fall-related data is based on responses from seven ambulance services.

Statistics show that the Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust were called out 27,085 times in 2022 and in 2024 increasing to 30,632.

90 percent of UK NHS Trusts have seen an increase in emergency hospital admissions for over 65s and since 2022, while 57 percent have seen an increase in fall-related admissions.

Over 3.3 million ambulance callouts were made for over-65s in the UK last year.

Dr Tim Mercer, NHS GP Partner and GP Trainer with Opera Beds, has shared expert advice on preventing falls: “As we get older, the risk of having a fall increases, and unfortunately, so do the chances of injury. A bad fall can lead to loss of confidence, time in hospital, or serious complications like a hip fracture. But the good news is that many falls can be prevented with a few simple checks and changes both in your health and around the home.”

“One in three people over the age of 65 have a fall each year.”

“If you’re concerned about a parent or relative who’s had a fall or seems unsteady, please speak to their GP surgery.”