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Whenever a new initiative in care is introduced, enthusiasm and commitment levels are generally high, and the results can appear encouraging. The advocates of the initiative tend to be quick to trumpet its benefits, and demand its universal adoption. Follow-up studies to assess the continuing effectiveness of such interventions are, however, much more scarce. So this Australian study adds to our knowledge of falls prevention programmes by revisiting a successful example, after an interval of five years, to assess the sustainability of its results. The research indicated that falls had increased to pre-intervention levels and that compliance with the programme had reduced. The author suggests that this finding indicates a need to embed such initiatives more securely within the culture of nursing.