Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service wins NFCC partnership working award

We are delighted to announce that our new initiative with the NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (ICB) and NHS Urgent Care at Home Team has won the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) Prevention and Protection Award for Partnership Working.

Launched in December 2022, our falls response service is run in collaboration with the NHS, West Midlands Ambulance Service and the ICB.

The aim of the scheme is to reduce unnecessary ambulance visits and hospital admissions by assigning fire service personnel to attend incidents where people require assistance following a fall.

We would like to stress that people should still call an ambulance if they have a fall. 

As part of the response programme, we also carry out a safe and well visit with the person affected and make sure they have access to the necessary support.

The team has helped more than 700 vulnerable residents during its first year.

We were presented with the award during the NFCC Prevention and Protection Conference, which took place on Tuesday 14 and Wednesday 15 November in the East Midlands.

The awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of prevention and protection activity in fire and rescue services.
 
This marks the second time that the successes of the initiative have been acknowledged - in July this year, we won the Organisational Award at the ALARM Risk Awards.

Ian Read, Head of Prevent, Protect and Partnerships at Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “For the service to win two national awards within its first year is a real testament to all those involved.

“The NHS, the Ambulance Service and the ICB have been vital in the work we do, so it is pleasing to see that this partnership is being afforded the recognition that it merits.

"If nothing else, I hope that these successes reassure the people of Staffordshire that their safety and wellbeing are at the forefront of everything we do."

Chief Fire Officer Rob Barber said: “I am very proud of what the team has achieved over the last year.

“In carrying out this new service, we have had to redefine the role of the Fire and Rescue Service within the county and within communities.

"This has only been made possible by working closely with our partners, whom I cannot thank enough.”

Ben Adams, Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire & Rescue and Crime, said: “I’m delighted that Staffordshire has been recognised nationally for its forward-thinking approach in using the expertise and capability of its teams to support other areas of demand, such as health.

“The falls response trial is an excellent example of the ‘and Rescue’ part of the Service’s name, and has already offered potentially life-saving support for over 500 of the most vulnerable people within our communities.”

Dr Paul Edmondson-Jones, Chief Medical Officer for the NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB, said: “I want to say ‘thank you’ to everyone who has worked together to make this service a success.
 
“It is so important that people only go to hospital when they absolutely need to, so any step which helps to support people in the most appropriate way is a huge benefit.”

For more information about the falls response service, have a listen to the ICB's podcast featuring Ian Read: NHS Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent ICB / Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent falls response service