Decaffeinated drinks will be served exclusively on five hospital wards in Ealing and Northwick Park, as part of a pilot examining whether going decaf can reduce falls, thanks to our funding.

Studies have shown patients drinking caffeinated drinks go to the toilet more frequently, increasing the risk of a fall.

High caffeine intake can have a negative effect on balance and stability, while for people with an overactive bladder, caffeine can worsen symptoms like urgency, frequent urination, and waking at night-time.

A recent report suggests that switching to decaffeinated drinks across the care sector could prevent thousands of falls and save the NHS up to £85 million per year.

So at LNWH, our specialist falls team will be putting the theory to the test. Five wards have switched to decaf by default, with the team studying falls data to assess whether the change is making a difference.

The teams making the switch are:

• 5 North and 6 North at Ealing Hospital
• Fielding, Fredrick Salmon North, and Hardy wards at Northwick Park Hospital

In preparation, the team served up a Taste a Difference session in March, asking people if they could tell the difference between the drinks – with only one person guessing correctly.

Transformation Fellow, Rebecca Tobin, said: “Falls are the most common cause of injury-related deaths in people over the age of 75, so we want to do everything we can to ensure our patients are safe when they’re in hospital.”

“We’re really looking forward to introducing this initiative, thanks to LNWH Charity funding, and seeing the difference it makes.”