A new pilot scheme aimed at reducing the number of people sent to hospital as a result of falls has been launched.

Hertfordshire social services will work closely with the East of England ambulance service, travelling together to provide immediate on-site after-care in the first partnership of its kind.

One fifth of calls to the ambulance services in the area are due to elderly people who have suffered falls at home.

In Hertfordshire last year, the ambulance service responded to more than 20,000 999 calls - initially coded as a fall - and a number of these were attributed to older people.

It is hoped the scheme will provide assistance and advice to fall victims, as well as services to prevent domestic accidents happening again.

Neil Storey, who is fronting the project said: "Traditionally this kind of support has not been available.

"Many elderly people get taken to hospital when home-care would be more suitable. This can make the transition back home very difficult.

"For this reason we are looking to focus on the prevention element in the hope that, by working with social services, they don't end up in hospital."

The current process means that social services may not catch up with patients until days after an accident, by which time they may have lost all confidence in their own abilities.

Senior operational manager for adult care services, Pauline Pickering, said: "A fall within the home can dramatically knock the confidence of an elderly person.

"We show elderly people how to re-build their confidence and live their lives independently and safely rather than trying to do everything for them."

While the number of phone calls to the emergency services is unlikely to change it is hoped the numbers needing hospital treatment will be reduced.

The process aims to empower patients rather than “mother” them, in the hope they can get their lives back to normal after a fall.

Graham Clements, an emergency care practitioner, said: "This partnership is a fantastic opportunity. A vast part of my job is responding to calls from elderly people and they can often be repeat fallers.

"With this new scheme, we hope to nip the problem in the bud.

"There is a proud mentality within this generation. Often they deny that they need help which is why accidents re-occur."

The scheme, jointly financed by the council and the ambulance service, will be piloted from Friday, November 30, in Dacorum, Watford, Three Rivers, St Albans and Hertsmere.

If successful, it will be rolled out across the rest of the county, with evaluations at the three-month stage and on completion.