NHS: Fighting Cancer as Well as Fires

Firefighters are doing more than preventing and putting out fires – they are now offering health advice and cancer checks as part of a national “safe and well” drive.

The firefighters are part of a programme designed to take advantage of their normal fire prevention work and home visits to also detect signs of preventable health problems particularly with elderly people.

The scheme has been devised by NHS England in conjunction with Public Health England (PHE). A spokesman for NHS England told Felix Magazine that new analysis conducted by PHE concluded that by using the firefighters and other public services to reach more people with potential problems “there is an opportunity to prevent more than 9,000 heart attacks and at least 14,000 strokes”, as well as several other serious health conditions over the next three years.

“With better detection and management of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and atrial fibrillation (AF, or abnormal heart rhythms) as well as the other health checks, we are beginning to find that it is having a real effect on preventing some diseases and illnesses by catching them in time,” the spokesman said.

Among the first firefighters to add the health checks to their existing programme of anti-fire “Safe and Well Visits” is the Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRC), which said it would offer the expanded visits to Cheshire residents who are aged 65-plus or are referred to the service by partner agencies.

“The visits will still incorporate the traditional fire safety information, such as smoke detectors and fire escape routes,” the spokesperson said. “But now we will offer additional advice on slips, trips and fall-prevention, which is vital for older people. We can advise them on hazards in their homes they might not ordinarily have thought about.”

Reaching More People

The Cheshire fire brigade is also offering advice on bowel cancer screening, and offering additional support for those trying to cut down on alcohol, smoking or drugs. They hope to extend the visits to include help to people who have been discharged from hospital after a fall or accident.

Clare Duggan, the director of commissioning operations for NHS England in the north of the country, said the programme was an “invaluable way of supporting vulnerable people to look after themselves and stay safe and well in their own homes.

We are particularly pleased to be able to include a focus on slips, trips and falls which unfortunately are a key factor in many ambulance calls and hospital admissions.”

Dr Matt Kearney, the NHS’s national clinical director for cardiovascular disease prevention, said working with other services to offer the health checks was an opportunity for the NHS to improve treatment of the high-risk conditions and prevent thousands of heart attacks, strokes and other health conditions. Some regions have already implemented the scheme with encouraging results which the NHS is hoping to expand and improve throughout the country.

Among those areas already trialled:

• In West Hampshire a mix of GP education, diagnostic devices for AF and pharmacist-run anti-coagulation services are estimated to have averted 52 strokes in 20 months.
• In Lambeth and Southwark, pharmacists were commissioned to manage blood pressure and AF. Over 15 months, an estimated 45 strokes were averted.
• Bradford Districts Clinical Commissioning Group has improved treatment for 21,000 patients. This has delivered better control of blood pressure, cholesterol and AF, and avoided an estimated 200 heart attacks and strokes in 15 months.

by Bob Graham

 

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