Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS)
The overarching aim of GMFRS is to improve the quality of life for all residents. In addition to the operational response performed by Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service (GMFRS) we provide prevention teams across the whole conurbation. The prevention teams establish partnerships to address the needs of those at increased risk of fire. We target support activity to those persons, and localities, that are most at risk. A known risk is to individuals who have health and social care problems and this often includes persons diagnosed with dementia.
- Updated:
- 8 October 2015
- Location:
- North West
- Sectors:
- Emergency Services Sector
- Local Alliances:
- Manchester Dementia Action Alliance , Bury Dementia Action Alliance
1. Action Plan
1. The National Dementia Declaration lists a number of outcomes that we are seeking to achieve for people with dementia and their carers. How would you describe your organisation’s role in delivering better outcomes for people with dementia and their carers?
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service are committed to preventing incidents and recognises that statistically some groups are more at risk than others. Older persons and persons with physical and mental health issues are among the high risk groups and therefore we welcome the opportunity to progress and develop prevention initiatives among these groups.In working with responsible agencies and those supporting people with Dementia we hope to provide targeted and relevant advice to people with Dementia and their carers to ensure they can live safely.We can do this through providing Home Safety Checks and in some cases specialist equipment for reducing fire risk. This ensures that services and support are designed around individual needs. We also want to provide carers and support agencies with valuable fire safety awareness so that they can identify risks and recognises when risks are increasing. This supports the person with Dementia to live their life safely.
2. What are the challenges to delivering these outcomes from the perspective of your organisation?
The challenge is to identify those agencies working with people who have Dementia and work with them to identify opportunities for referral mechanisms to ensure advice is targeted. There is also a need to ensure that GMFRS staff has awareness and understating of Dementia so that they can communicate effectively with clients and carers and understand specific risks and appropriate ways to mitigate them.
Member contacts
2. Actions
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Improve the skills of GMFRS prevention team staff who deal with people diagnosed with dementia.
The delivery of effective training on dementia for GMFRS prevention team staff through the use of approved trainers
- Status:
- Delivery
-
Identify and establish partnerships
Identify and establish partnerships to improve access of the GMFRS prevention team to people at increased risk of fire due that may be a result of them suffering from dementia. The completion of effective partnership agreements that provides a clear and easy way for people living with dementia to be referred to GMFRS for support.
- Status:
- Implementation, Planning
Annual Update - 2012/13
During 2012/13 the GMFRS Manchester Prevention Team has set up partnership agreements with Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust and Manchester Directorate for Adult Health and Wellbeing. The agreements provide a framework to provide reciprocal training and referral pathways that can be used by those services. This provides Health and Social Care professionals with an awareness of fire risk so that they can refer service users to the GMFRS prevention team for support and assistance. The reciprocal training provides GMFRS with an awareness of how best to deal with a variety of health and social problems they may face, including dementia. The prevention team will be developing these partnerships into next year and beyond. This year we have pledged our support for the World Health Organisations “Ageing Well Cities” project and a similar partnership has been signed with Manchester Public Health Valuing Older Person (VOP) team to provide practical measures to support the pledge.