Impact of a dedicated syncope and falls facility for older adults on emergency beds

syncope and falls are common symptoms in older adults. Dedicated facilities for these symptoms are emerging in the UK. To date, justification for resource allocation for these day case facilities is lacking. A dedicated syncope and falls day case facility for older adults was set up in Newcastle in 1991 (at the Royal Victoria Infirmary). The facility provided rapid access for assessment of appropriate patients from the community, the accident and emergency department, or emergency admissions. Activity and performance in 1999 were compared with peer inner-city teaching hospitals and with previous performance in 1990 at the Royal Victoria Infirmary to determine whether the facility had influenced emergency activity.