What you can do

  • Be aware that you may need more assistance than usual to move around.
  • Use the call bell to ask for assistance when you need to move.
  • Get to know the layout of your hospital room.
  • Keep glasses and walking aids within easy reach.
  • Let us know if you feel unsteady, unbalanced or notice changes in the way you usually move.

What St John of God Health Care does

  • We work with our patients to reduce their risk of falling in hospital.
  • We assess your risk of falling and create a plan to prevent falls.
  • We have policies and procedures to reduce the risk of patient falls.
  • We train our caregivers to help reduce patient falls.
  • We report and monitor falls so we can reduce similar incidents in the future.

Often, patients do not want to ask nurses for help because they are busy people. You may also feel less in control when you are in hospital.

Our caregivers are always here to help.

Research shows that recovery can be quicker and more effective when you allow hospital staff to help you.

Always ask for help if you need it. Use your call bell for help getting out of bed, out of a chair, going to the bathroom or moving around.

For more information on how you can prevent falls visit the Injury Matters website. The Stay On Your Feet® falls prevention program also has helpful resources.

Learn more:

St John of God Murdoch Hospital's patient falls data

Line graph showing rate of patient falls resulting in fracture or closed head injury at St John of God Murdoch Hospital.  Vertical axis reports rate of falls related injuries per 10,000 bed days, ranging from 0.0 to 10.0.  Horizontal axis reports periods from quarter 2, 2022 to quarter 2, 2023.  Dotted line shows the national benchmark is 1.0 falls.  Scores display as 0.3, 0.3, 0.8, 0.8, 0.3

Bar graph showing number of patient falls resulting in fracture or closed head injury at St John of God Murdoch Hospital.  Vertical axis reports number of patients with falls related injury, ranging from 0 to 15.  Horizontal axis reports periods from quarter 2, 2022 to quarter 2, 2023.  Scores display as 1, 1, 3, 3, 1