Presentation by Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service on their Safe and Well visits service to the Governing Body of NHS Eastern Cheshire CCG

1. Expanding Home Safety
Assessments to support identified
health issues
Safe and Well

2. Fire prevention in the home – a policy
success story
• Steady downward trend in fire deaths and injuries in England
since early 2000s
DCLG Fire Statistics (April 14 to March 15) showed:
 63% of all fire fatalities were accidental dwelling fires – 163 in
2014-2015. 19 fewer (10%) than previous year, 30% lower
than ten years ago and also lowest recorded to date
 3,235 non-fatal fire hospital casualties. This was 6% and 55%
lower than one year and ten years earlier respectively.
 91% of homes in England now have a smoke alarm (source – English
Housing Survey).

3. Impact of sustained programme of fire
safety activity
Cheshire fire statistics
• Over the last five years (2010-11 to 2014-15), the total
number of incidents attended by CFRS has reduced by 29%
down to 7,281
• Other key improvements over the same period include:
• The number of injuries in accidental dwelling fires down 13%
to just 28.
• Accidental dwelling fires reduced by 15% to 401.
• Cheshire focused on targeting over 65s in recent years (over
65s comprise over 50% of all fire deaths). Research by Chester
University has shown good impact of this approach.

4. Health and fire – a natural partner
“The NHS has a golden opportunity to
piggyback off the fire service’s vital
670,000 home-safety visits, to help
prevent falls, broken hips and hospital
admissions. This is precisely the kind of
joint working between local public
services that makes sense for patients
and saves money for taxpayers.”
Simon Stephens Chief Executive NHS

5. Safe and Well Visits – Cheshire and
Merseyside Health and Fire Summit – 15 July
2015
• Recent national, regional and local discussions with partners in the
National Health Service have highlighted the potential for the
Service to expand scope of Home Safety Assessments.
• Cheshire and Merseyside fire and rescue services’ keen to support
national programme of work to assist health agenda. Currently
deliver 85,000 Home Safety Assessments. Capacity to increase.
• Chaired jointly by Clare Duggan (NHS England, Director of
Commissioning Operations, Cheshire and Merseyside), and Paul
Hancock (CFO Cheshire FRS).
• Attendees: PHE and Commissioners of health care services; Chairs
and Accountable Officers of CCGs; SRG Chairs, and Provider
Operations Directors.
• Discussed and agreed the type of interventions both Services can
deliver to support the health and winter mortality agendas as part
of Safe and Well visits for people over 65 years.

6. Cheshire and Merseyside – supporting health
agenda through ‘Safe and Well’ visits
The Health and Fire Summit identified the following issues to be
considered and worked up:
• Slips, trips and falls
• Supporting hospital discharge for over 65s admitted to ward for a
fall
• Supporting bowel cancer screening
• Supporting smoking cessation and alcohol reduction
• Following the Summit, the CHAMPS network asked that
Hypertension and blood pressure also be added to the initiative.
Designed to deliver a consistent and impactful intervention and
support to NHS across the whole of Cheshire and Merseyside.

7. Implementing Safe and Well
• Using Exeter Health data, the Service will continue to focus on
those most at risk from fire but will work with health partners
to identify those households which also face additional health
risks.
• As a result, in 2016-2017 the Service will relaunch its Home
Safety Assessment programme as ‘Safe and Well’ visits, with
our firefighters and advocates carrying out additional basic
health checks.
• The Service plans to increase current level of 25,000 home
visits a year to around 40,000.

8. Implementing Safe and Well
Support from both staff and the general public. IRMP consultation:
• Overall, 78% of public and 62% of staff support the proposed
introduction of safe and well visits
• Strong support for including advice on preventing slips, trips
and falls (89% public, 77% staff)
• Also strong public support for smoking cessation (76%), help
for those discharged from hospital (74%)

9. Implementing Safe and Well
• Currently working through not insignificant information governance
issues with NHS colleagues.
• Training for Cheshire FRS staff is key. All operational and advocates
staff will be trained in some elements of Safe and Well during May
through to late July.
• Phased introduction for Safe and Well. Phase 1 is planned to
commence in October 2016, and comprise: slips, trips and falls;
bowel cancer screening; smoking cessation and alcohol reduction.
• Phase 2 will commence in earley 2017, and comprise: hypertension
and blood pressure and hospital discharge for over 65s admitted to
ward for a fall.
• Communications strategy.
• Evaluation.

10. Questions……???