Hartland House Care Home

Falls are a leading cause of hospital admissions in the UK, placing significant strain on both the NHS and care facilities. Hartland House, a 31-bedroom residential care home in Milnthorpe, Cumbria serving older adults including those with dementia, faced ongoing fall risks with slow response times averaging 57 minutes. Long-lie incidents — where residents remain on the floor after a fall — posed severe health risks including fatality.

Hartland House implemented Nobi Smart Lamps across high-risk bedrooms as part of a six-month pilot supported by NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB. The lamps combine optical sensors and AI to detect falls with 100% accuracy, use smart lighting to prevent nighttime disorientation, and automatically alert caregivers when residents leave their beds. If a fall occurs, the lamp verbally prompts the resident and immediately notifies staff if a clear 'no' is not given.

Falls were reduced by 84% and fall detection achieved a 100% rate throughout the pilot. Average response times dropped from 57 minutes to under 2 minutes, and long-lie incidents were eliminated entirely (zero rate). Administrative burden also fell sharply — each fall previously required up to six hours of paperwork, freeing staff for direct resident care. The success prompted expansion of the technology from 8 rooms to the entire home.

• A proactive, AI-driven approach to fall prevention can dramatically shift care from reactive to preventive, reducing both harm and staff burden.
• Even a small-scale pilot (8 rooms) can produce compelling enough results to justify full-facility rollout within months.
• Scaling this technology across UK care homes could save the NHS approximately £156,585 per day in ambulance costs alone.