Fire and ambulance service partnership to help Bedfordshire people who suffer a fall at home

People who have fallen in their homes will benefit from a new partnership between Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service and East of England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST).

The partnership aims to free up paramedics to respond to serious medical emergencies while making vulnerable residents safer in their homes.

Four community wellbeing officers will work across Bedfordshire during the 12-month pilot, responding to non-emergency calls from people who have fallen.

Falls can account for up to 20 per cent of the ambulance service’s calls and although some patients will require hospital treatment, many simply need to be helped to their feet and checked over to make sure they are safe to be left at home. Currently, if a person falls at home and has no injuries, they could have a long wait for an ambulance to become available.

The community wellbeing officers completed a three-week emergency responder training with EEAST to learn the skills required for their role.

Dave Lee, SC response support said: "This vital work we’re doing with the ambulance service is all about making every contact count. By attending those who have fallen at home, giving them a check over and enabling them to hopefully be discharged at home, means we can also relieve pressure on the whole NHS system, whilst also being able to make referrals to partner agencies to provide ongoing support."

Tom Barker, EEAST community response manager added: "We’re delighted to be part of this collaboration with Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service which aims to improve the speed of response and increase support for people who have fallen in their homes.

"The people we’ll be responding to are the vulnerable members of our communities who will not only benefit from a quicker response to help them back on their feet, but also the person-centred home safety check that will be carried out at the same time.

"I am confident that this programme will see real benefits, for not only for the ambulance service, but more importantly to our vulnerable members of our community who we want to make sure are safe in their homes."