For community equipment specialist Medequip and its partners, keeping people safe is about more than just delivering equipment into homes. Cooperation can be a life saver, and establishing relationships between those providing essential services is making a real difference.
Sharing information and supporting users of equipment who might be at risk from fire, Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service, Medequip and West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust are working in partnership to keep the people of Suffolk safe in their homes. With the focus on identifying fire safety hazards, SFRS is providing tailored fire safety awareness training to Medequip technicians who, as part of their daily work, go into people’s homes and have the opportunity to spot potential hazards at first hand.
From noting the absence of essential equipment such as smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors through to identifying issues like training wires and overloaded sockets, the Medequip technicians are trained to think fire safety at all times.
Where a hazard is identified, the technicians can then make an immediate referral to SFRS, who have the opportunity to liaise with families and carers. Where any serious concerns are raised, SFRS specialist practitioners carry out home fire safety visits which are person-centred and look at how the individual can be helped and supported to reduce the risk of fire.
Some pieces of equipment can carry an inherent fire risk, such as air flow mattresses when combined with lifestyle choices like smoking. Medequip and SFRS have co-produced a special leaflet entitled ‘Fire Safety for Air Flow Mattresses’, which is now used by other Medequip depots delivering to homes around the country.
Fire safety awareness training has now been extended to West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust prescribers, enabling them to factor in risk when they are prescribing equipment for use in the home. The Trust has also been working with SFRS to update the ‘Fire Safety Good Practice Guide’ a working document for prescribers issuing equipment in Suffolk, signposting to SRFR and the options they offer to reduce the risk of fire for people using community equipment.
The Trust continues to actively encourage and participate in this important initiative. “We are keen to support our prescribers and technicians and keep them informed about the risks and dangers of equipment used in home environments,” stated Laura Rawlings, Business Development Manager for Community Equipment and Wheelchair Services. “Working alongside both Medequip and Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service is great example of proactive cooperation. This vigilant approach will keep people safe at home and no doubt save lives. Education is key and we are proud of the way all organisations have worked together to produce guidance and identify areas of concern.”
Speaking on behalf of Medequip, Andrea Clifton, Account Manager at the Suffolk depot stated “‘We have had excellent feedback from our technicians who have received training from SFRS. They have found it to be hugely valuable in helping them consider the risks that people who use our service might encounter with equipment in their home. This might be when delivering equipment or whilst attending to service equipment on site. This additional learning has also proved useful to our technicians with their own families and at home. Working together with our commissioners and the fire service in Suffolk enables us to be pre-emptive in responding to any identified risks and raise concerns that might otherwise be missed.”
This combined effort to keep some of the most vulnerable people in society safe in their own homes also includes a referral mechanism to the Suffolk Information Partnership (SIP), a network of organisations supporting people in Suffolk with information and services around care, health and wellbeing.
In addition, the initiative is mirrored around the country, with Medequip depots and local fire services collaborating in fire safety awareness training and using established referral methods to follow up on identified hazards.