999 services link up to protect the vulnerable

THE Welsh Ambulance Service has partnered with fire and rescue services to launch a new initiative to better protect vulnerable people at risk of an accident in their home.

The new system allows ambulance crews to e-refer at-risk patients to their fire and rescue service counterparts in north, mid and west and south Wales for a Safe and Well check. Fire crews can then visit the property to mitigate any risks.

Nikki Harvey, the Welsh Ambulance Service’s head of safeguarding, said: “Ambulance crews go to a patient’s property to deliver medical interventions, but often while they’re there, they’ll spot things in the home which raise a red flag.

“It could be that there isn’t a smoke alarm, that electrical sockets are overloaded or that there’s a build-up of fat on cooking appliances, all of which present a fire hazard.

“It could be that the patient has cigarette burns on their clothes or furniture, or that the patient’s hoarding has blocked an escape route. The new referral form – which our crews complete on an iPad – streamlines the process and makes it easier than ever before to enlist the support of fire service colleagues and safeguard that patient. Anything that we can do collectively to improve safety, mitigate the risk of accidents and prevent harm could reduce 999 calls.”

Tim Owen, community safety manager at North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, on behalf of the three fire and rescue services, said: “This agreement will enable us to identify those most at risk to make them safer.”