An independent NHS evaluation has found that care homes using AI Nobi Smart Lights achieved up to a 75% reduction in falls-related hospital visits and up to a 65% drop in ambulance call-outs, easing pressure on emergency services while improving resident safety.
The study, conducted by the Suffolk & North East Essex Integrated Care Board (SNEE ICB), examined 87 rooms across seven care homes delivering residential, nursing, dementia and assisted living care. Researchers compared six months of baseline data with six months following installation of the technology. In some homes, no fall-related hospital admissions were recorded during the evaluation period.
The ceiling-mounted smart lights use AI to detect falls in real time, alerting staff within seconds. The system also automatically illuminates rooms when residents get out of bed, helping to prevent night-time falls. Staff reported greater confidence when responding to unwitnessed incidents, reduced time spent reconstructing events and completing paperwork, and fewer intrusive checks on residents.
The evaluation formed part of the ICB’s Digitising Social Care Programme, which supports care providers to adopt digital solutions that enhance safety and quality of care. Deployment was delivered in partnership with Porters Care, a UK partner of Nobi, with support from Suffolk County Council and participating care providers.
According to the report, improved outcomes were driven by faster fall detection, clearer insight into incidents and more appropriate escalation decisions. Better visibility enabled staff to distinguish genuine falls from controlled descents, allowing more situations to be managed safely within the care home and reducing unnecessary ambulance call-outs.
Using NHS reference costs, the evaluation estimates £89,000 in avoided emergency-care costs over six months, equating to a projected return on investment of around 196% over three years.
David Knowles, managing director of Porters Care, said: 'These results highlight the real-world impact of smart technology in care homes. By improving how falls are detected and understood, Nobi helps teams make clearer decisions and keep residents safe while avoiding unnecessary hospital visits.'
Further NHS-led evaluations are now underway in other UK regions, adding to the growing evidence base on the role of digital care technology in improving outcomes for residents and reducing pressure on health services.
