Firefighters save more lives
A PARTNERSHIP between firefighters and health services in Halton is estimated to have saved 24 people from suffering a stroke in just six months.
Cheshire Fire And Rescue Service (CFRS) joined forces with the Innovation Agency, the Academic Health Science Network for the North West Coast, NHS Halton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), and Halton Borough Council’s Public Health department to carry out pulse checks in Runcorn and Widnes.
Halton has a population of around 20,500 people aged over 65 years of whom 500 may have undiagnosed atrial fibrillation (AF) – an irregular heartbeat which can increase the risk of stroke fivefold.
Fire crews have been given handheld testing devices, MyDiagnosticks, which act as mobile electro cardiogram monitors and detect an irregular heart rate.
They are testing pulses during visits to vulnerable residents.
In the last six months, the crews have carried ● out more than 820 pulse checks and found an irregular pulse in 24 people.
These residents have since attended appointments with their GPs and are now receiving treatment – avoiding the risk of serious illness.
CFRS’s head of prevention Mike Anderson said: “The fire and rescue service has slowly been increasing the number of checks and interventions it carries out in the homes of the most vulnerable in Cheshire.
“So far, this has led to fantastic results in getting some of the most difficult to reach people in the county in touch with services which will help them. This early intervention means that the services can give treatment to these people before the problem becomes much larger and they present at A&E.”
Halton CCG received funding from the Innovation Agency to buy 25 MyDiagnosticks, and trained firefighters on the causes of AF and how to use the mobile ECG devices.
On average, the fire service conducts around 700 Safe And Well visits per week, delivered by operational firefighters across Cheshire.
West Cheshire CCG is now in talks with the Innovation Agency and CFRS to consider a similar initiative.
The Innovation Agency’s head of programmes Dr Julia Reynolds said: “This initiative is one of several we have funded across our region to help reduce AF related strokes.
“We are delighted to show that the project is yielding such positive results by avoiding a potential 24 strokes in Halton which would have cost the NHS and social care, over half a million pounds in one year.”