The Victorian Falls Prevention Alliance
The Victorian Falls Prevention Alliance is an initiative of The Victorian Research Translation Centre Collaborative – a partnership between Western Alliance, Melbourne Academic Centre for Health and Monash Partners Health Translation Network.
Reducing the incidence and impact of falls in hospital settings
The purpose of the Falls Prevention Alliance is to work collaboratively to reduce falls and falls injuries in hospitals. This work is overseen by a committee made up of researchers, clinicians and consumers.
Falls are a leading cause of harm across the continuum of care. Falls are particularly challenging in the hospital setting where they are the most frequent clinical risk in patient care. To date, there is a variable evidence base supporting commonly used strategies to prevent falls. There is also variability between health services as to what strategies are utilised for the prevention of falls.
The World guidelines for falls prevention and management for older adults (see publication) were released in September 2022. The Falls Prevention Alliance will play an instrumental role working with Victorian health services on the implementation of these guidelines.
2026 Victorian Falls Prevention Symposium
The Victorian Falls Prevention Alliance presents an annual Symposium addressing a key focus area in falls prevention. Each workshop provides an opportunity to meet experts and share experiences, as well as providing clinicians with practical tips to reduce falls in their clinical practice.
Please join us for the 2026 Victorian Falls Prevention Alliance Symposium. Register now to secure your spot.
The 2026 Symposium program has been released, and features:
- Keynote by Prof Danielle Bouchard, University of Manitoba, Canada: Falls and Exercise: We all know, and we know it all right?
- Presentations from national experts about hospital falls prevention interventions
- A consumer perspective
- Rapid fire clinician presentations
- Panel discussion
View or download the Program here.
To find out more or to sign up for the Victorian Falls Prevention Alliance newsletter, email info@westernalliance.org.au
More information about the Victorian Falls Prevention Alliance:
Co-Chairs
- Prof Meg Morris, La Trobe University
- A/Prof Frances Batchelor, National Ageing Research Institute
Members
- Prof Terry Haines, Monash University
- Prof Alison Hutchinson, Deakin University
- Mr Stephen Peterson, Consumer Representative
- Mr Uyen Phan, Northern Health
- Prof Cathy Said, University of Melbourne, Western Health
- Melanie Haley, Eastern Health
- Andrea Russell, Great Ocean Road Health
- Prof Peter Hunter, Alfred Health
- Drew Aras, Western Alliance
- Sarah Shaw, Western Alliance
- Sherryn Bowker, Monash Partners
- Lingzhi Ruan, Monash Partners
- Nick Walsh, MACH
Secretariat
- Cassandra Hamilton, Western Alliance
2025 Victorian Falls Prevention Alliance Symposium: Real world approaches to falls prevention in hospitals
Guest speakers:
- Professor Alison Pighills, Principal Research Fellow, Mackay Hospital and Health Service
- Professor Keith Hill, Ageing Stream Lead, Rehabilitation, Ageing and Independent Living Research Centre
- Michelle Tuck and Leanne Hughes, Harm Minimisation Team, Alfred Health
Watch the recording here.
2024 Victorian Falls Prevention Alliance Falls Workshop: Implementing hospital falls prevention strategies in the real world
Guest speaker:
- Brett Morris, Safer Care Victoria (SCV)
Watch the recording here.
2023 Victorian Falls Prevention Alliance Symposium: Guiding the way: Practical steps for falls prevention
Guest speakers:
- Professor Cathie Sherrington, Centre of Research Excellence in the Prevention of Fall-related Injuries
- Charlotte McLennan, Sydney Local Health District & University of Sydney
Watch the recording here.
Moving from research and evidence into implementation
Alliance Allied Health representative and Associate Director of Allied Health at Northern Health Uyen Phan (pictured below) says the Alliance is playing a crucial role in helping health services implement evidence-based guidelines.
“There’s lots of research out there about what works and what doesn’t. As a clinician, my concern is that this knowledge isn’t easily accessible for health services. That is, what do I need to do as a health service to minimise falls? What strategies should I implement?
“The Alliance is really building up to be the peak falls body in Victoria: a central point for sharing information and resources to help prevent falls across different health services.”, Mr Phan says.
Drawing from lived experience
As the Alliance’s consumer representative, Stephen Peterson (pictured below) is also keen to implement change.
“I commend the Alliance for bringing me on board, because the role of a consumer is very important, and I’m delighted I’ve got the chance to contribute to such a worthwhile organisation.”
Mr Peterson was driven to become a consumer representative after witnessing the impact of falls first-hand.
“In the last 18 months of his life, my father had a few falls. Unfortunately, the third broke his hip, and he died a month later,” he says. “Looking back, these experiences really helped me understand and appreciate the risk of elderly people having a fall, wherever they might be.”
Since retiring, Mr Peterson says he has volunteered in aged care and other organisations focussed on the elderly, where the issue of falls is “never far away”.
“I like to see ideas and research implemented, being utilised and giving benefit to the elderly. “There’s a lot of learning to be done out in the broader community. And that’s where I believe the Alliance has an essential role to play, now and into the future.”
