November 13, 2025 | Terry Smith

Lifting A Fallen Person Yourself Vs Calling An Ambulance (Updated)

Should ambulance services respond to falls?

Falls are a leading reason for people to call for an ambulance, accounting for 8–10 per cent of all 999 calls¹. The reality is, many of these falls are minor or no-injury falls, and the ambulance service is simply attending to assist the fallen person off the floor.

In the ‘Going Further For Winter’ guidance from NHS England in 2022, NHS England stated that “Not all falls result in serious injury, and a proportion of falls can be responded to by community-based response services, supporting NHS statutory services such as ambulance services to prioritise higher acuity patients.”

Because of the pressure the NHS is under, particularly the emergency services, we don’t believe an ambulance response is appropriate for minor-injury and non-injury falls.

The impact of minor and non-injury falls on the ambulance service

Having to respond to minor and no-injury falls worsens the ambulance service’s response times to Category 1 and 2 calls, or life-threatening incidents.

There is also the financial impact, with falls costing the NHS more than £2.3 billion every year. Increasing the pressure on the ambulance service by responding to unnecessary calls only adds to the overall system pressure and the pressure on hospitals.

Enabling non-ambulance resources, such as Community First Responders and Urgent Community Response Teams, to respond to non-injury and minor injury falls allows ambulance services to improve their category 1 and category 2 ambulance response times and improve the outcomes for fallers.

Related article: How Much Do Falls Cost The NHS?

When should an ambulance be called after a fall?

First, carry out a risk assessment of the fallen person, using clinically approved assessment tools such as ISTUMBLE. Once you have thoroughly assessed the person for injury, you will be guided on the best next step.

If the fallen person has suffered a major injury such as a hip fracture, stroke, heart attack, or severe bleeding, call the ambulance service immediately, due to the life-threatening nature of these incidents.

Assessment tools such as ISTUMBLE will guide you on when you should call an ambulance and when you shouldn’t call an ambulance.

When should you lift a fallen person yourself?

For minor injury falls, assessment tools will advise whether first aid should be given before lifting the person. Some tools will also direct you to local response services set up to respond to incidents such as minor injury falls.

If a person has suffered no injuries, but simply needs help being lifted from the floor, these falls can be handled by yourself.