Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue showcases Home Fire Safety Visits project at conference
Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service has showcased its Home Fire Safety Visits project during a best practice conference.
Representatives from the service shared details of their West Mid Beds Falls Prevention Project, a programme which brings together organisations from across the county to support residents experiencing early signs of frailty.
The project focused on people identified through GP practices in the Lea Vale, Hilton and Green Vale Primary Care Networks as being at risk of mild to moderate frailty.
Through a referral pathway residents were connected to support services, which includes the Home Fire Safety Visits.
The partnership approach enabled GP practices to identify residents who may benefit from individual support, and last year just over half of the 6,297 Home Fire Safety Visits came from partner referrals.
Just over 5,000 of those visits enabled the service to help older residents and those living with disabilities to reduce risks in their homes.
Speaking at the Central East Integrated Care Board’s Best Practice Frailty Conference, Bev Davies, the fire service’s partnership and engagement manager said: “Prevention is at the heart of everything we do.
“Home Fire Safety Visits are about much more than reducing the risk of fire. They provide valuable opportunities to identify vulnerability, support safe and independent living, and connect residents with services that can improve their wellbeing.
“This project shows how working closely with our health and community partners enables us to reach people earlier, provide the right support at the right time and help residents continue to live safely and confidently in their own homes.”