Staffordshire Fire Service working with NHS to help vulnerable who have falls

West Midlands Ambulance Service provide the initial clinical triage via 999 and NHS 111, to ensure patients are provided with the most appropriate care for their needs.

The new Falls Response Team can be tasked to respond to non-injury falls where patients may need to be helped to their feet or a chair, and checked to ensure they’re safe and well.

Head of Prevent, Protect and Partnerships, Ian Read, said: “Delivering this new service means that we can work together to support the NHS at a really crucial time, as we continue through the busy winter season, hopefully preventing unnecessary hospital admissions.

“However, I must stress that patients should contact the NHS in the usual way, in order for the initial clinical triage assessment to take place, and not to contact the fire service directly for assistance. This is to ensure that patients are provided with the most appropriate care and response for their needs.

“We are a few months into the scheme now and the team have been able to effectively contribute to helping over 100 individuals who needed assistance. We’ve received some great feedback from their families too, so it’s clear that they are making a positive difference.

“This scheme also allows us to interact with some very vulnerable individuals in our community and we can utilise these opportunities to ensure that they are as safe as possible within their own homes.”

Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire & Rescue and Crime, Ben Adams said: “A key priority in my Fire & Rescue Plan, and the government’s White Paper on Fire reform, is for the service to use the expertise and capability of its teams to assist in other areas of demand, such as health.

“This falls trial is an excellent example of the ‘and Rescue’ part of the service’s name, offering potentially life-saving support for the most vulnerable people within our communities.”