Last reviewed: 2 May 2026. This page is editorial. We are not selling anything on it; if you have just had a fall in the family, our priority on this page is that you take the right next steps, not that you buy anything from us.
A fall on the stairs is the moment when families often find themselves making decisions in a hurry that would have been better made calmly. The seven-day window after a fall is when most of those decisions cluster: hospital or not, GP follow-up, who comes to look at the home, whether the stairs can still be used safely, what to do about night-time. This page is a calm checklist for that week.
It is written for the adult child, partner, or carer reading this in the hours or days after a fall. If the fall is happening right now and the person is unconscious, severely injured, or you are not sure if they can be moved, stop reading this and call 999.
Day 1: the first 24 hours
Two questions to answer first:
- Can they get up safely with help? If yes, get them up and somewhere comfortable. If no, do not try to lift them; call 111 or 999 for paramedic-assisted help. Trying to lift an injured older adult often makes injuries worse.
- Are there signs of serious injury? Suspected hip, head, or back injury, severe pain, vomiting, confusion, loss of consciousness even briefly. If any of these, A&E or 999.
Even if the fall looks minor, two specific things to do in the first 24 hours:
- Phone NHS 111. A non-emergency triage. They will ask about the fall and decide whether a same-day GP visit, district nurse, or A&E referral is needed.
- Document what happened. When, where on the stairs, what they remember, what they were doing immediately before. This matters for the OT assessment later, and for ruling out medical causes (a faint, a Transient Ischaemic Attack, a medication-related dizziness).
Avoid making any equipment decisions in the first 24 hours. Buy nothing yet. Sign nothing yet. The acute period is for safety, not for shopping.
Day 2 to 3: the medical pass
Get the medical question answered before the equipment question. A fall on the stairs in an older adult is rarely just about the stairs.
- GP appointment. Ask specifically for a “post-fall review.” Most surgeries have a protocol for this. The GP will check vital signs, ask about medications (especially blood pressure tablets, sedatives, sleeping tablets), and look at injury sites.
- Falls clinic referral. Many areas in the UK run NHS Falls Prevention services. The GP can refer; many also accept self-referral. If your area has one, it is a fast track to physiotherapy, balance assessment, and occupational therapy.
- Medication review. If the fall might have been related to dizziness or balance, ask the GP for a full medication review. A common cause of falls in older adults is over-medication, especially when several prescriptions interact.
Note for the file: ask for the falls assessment to be added to the medical record. This matters later for DFG applications, blue badge eligibility, and Attendance Allowance, all of which can fund or partially fund equipment.
Day 3 to 5: the home assessment
While medical follow-up is happening, get the home looked at. Two free routes:
- Council OT referral. Phone the housing or adult social care team and ask for an Occupational Therapist assessment for stairs. Tell them a fall has just happened; many councils prioritise post-fall referrals and you may be seen within days rather than weeks.
- Age UK home safety check. Free, lower-priority than an OT but often faster, especially in areas where the OT waiting list is long. Volunteers walk through the home and flag tripping hazards, lighting, rails.
In the meantime, a few practical things you can do today without an assessment:
- Add a second handrail on the stairs if there is currently only one. A few hundred pounds and most handymen can do it.
- Check the lighting. Replace any low-wattage bulbs near the stairs with the brightest the fitting will take. Add a plug-in motion-sensor night light at the top and bottom.
- Remove rugs and runners from landings.
- Move the bedroom temporarily downstairs if there is a sofa-bed or spare ground-floor room. Many families do this for the week or two until the OT visits.
Day 5 to 7: the equipment conversation
By day five to seven, the medical picture is usually clearer and the OT visit is either booked or has happened. Now is when the stairlift, through-floor lift, or “no equipment, just rails” decision becomes possible to make calmly.
A fair sequence to follow:
- Wait for the OT recommendation if one is coming. Their assessment is free, neutral, and matters for DFG funding. Skipping it costs you funding leverage later.
- If the OT recommends a stairlift, get three quotes. National-brand and independent. See our UK stairlift companies guide.
- If the recovery is expected to be short (post-fall recovery rather than progressive condition), consider renting a stairlift. £80 to £120 a month, no commitment beyond the contract minimum.
- If the OT recommends through-floor lift instead, see our through-floor lifts vs stairlifts page.
- If you are still on the OT waiting list and need something this week, a temporary rental fitted in 48 hours is usually the best stopgap. See renting while you wait for a DFG.
What to avoid in the first week
- Cold-call sales visits. If a stairlift company offers to “come round today,” do not say yes in the first week. The conversation needs to follow the OT visit, not precede it.
- Permanent decisions in fear. Buying a £6,000 curved stairlift in week one is rarely a good decision, even if the fall has been frightening. Rent first, decide later.
- Hidden the fall from family. If your parent has had the fall and is downplaying it to other family members, share this page with them. Other relatives often have the bandwidth or local proximity to help that you do not.
- Skipping the OT. The DFG, charity grants, and Attendance Allowance all flow through OT-led recommendations. An OT-supported case is a stronger funding case.
Beyond week one
After the first week, the situation usually settles into one of three paths:
- Recovery, no equipment. The fall was a one-off, the medical review identifies a fixable cause, the OT recommends grab rails and a falls-prevention exercise programme. About a third of post-fall cases.
- Stairlift. OT recommends one, the funding question gets resolved through DFG, charity, or self-funding, install happens within four to twelve weeks. About half of cases.
- More than a stairlift. The OT recommends a through-floor lift or downstairs living adaptation, which is a bigger project. Less common but the right answer when it is.
Cross-links
- 7 signs it might be time for a stairlift
- How to talk to an elderly parent about a stairlift
- Stairlift grants overview
- Stairlift rental
- Through-floor lifts vs stairlifts
- Renting while you wait for a DFG
Stairlift Costs UK earns commission only when readers buy a stairlift through one of our partner suppliers. This page is editorial and we earn nothing on it. See our full disclosure.
Pricing information
Unless stated otherwise, prices shown are fully installed prices for a standard staircase. Complex installations may carry additional charges.
Stairlifts installed for a disabled person may qualify for zero-rate VAT under HMRC Notice 701/7. Your supplier will confirm VAT eligibility at the point of quotation.
Our price ranges are compiled from supplier rate cards, published dealer price lists, and real quotes shared by homeowners. They are intended as a general guide, not a firm quotation.
Prices last reviewed: May 2026