Ambulance service falls partnership shortlisted for national healthcare award

Finalists for the HSJ Awards 2024, the healthcare sector’s premier awards event of the year, were announced on Monday 12 August. EEAST was shortlisted in the Provider Collaboration of the Year category, for its partnership with regional fire and rescue services in assisting people who have fallen at home.

The Community Wellbeing Officer (CWO) initiative was launched in November 2023 and is designed to bring health response and fire prevention together. Across Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Essex fire and rescue services there are 11 CWOs split into 6 teams.

There is an increased risk of fire in a home where someone has fallen. When emergency calls come in for non-injury falls, EEAST dispatchers can task CWOs to respond where available. This usually means the patient gets help more quickly, and while on scene the CWOs will provide fire prevention advice – from fitting new smoke alarms to discussing potential fire hazards with the patient.

Since the project’s launch in November last year, CWOs in Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Essex have responded to almost 950 calls, and in 9 out of 10 of those incidents they were first on scene. In more than 300 lower severity incidents, CWOs have helped patients on scene without the need for an ambulance, freeing up those ambulances to attend more serious emergencies in the area.

CWOs can also be called upon to assist ambulance crews with the most urgent emergency calls, such as cardiac arrests, as they have been trained by EEAST clinicians in providing basic life support. CWOs have attended over 150 Category 1 emergencies since November 2023.

Jo Fletcher, Associate Director of Urgent and Emergency Care Integration at EEAST, said: "I am thrilled to see the Community Wellbeing Officer project shortlisted for a HSJ award. EEAST is proud to work closely and collaboratively with our blue light partners in the fire and rescue services across the region.

"The CWO role embodies the strong relationship between our ambulance service and fire service, and since launching last November it has already achieved fantastic results for patients. Having medically trained officers from the fire service attend non-injury falls means that patients can also benefit from free fire prevention advice.

"I am incredibly proud of how well the CWOs have integrated with our frontline ambulance crews, our control room operators and the unscheduled care coordination hubs. This recognition by the HSJ Awards team is well deserved!"

The winners will be announced at the HSJ Awards ceremony in central London on 21 November.

Photo caption: EEAST's Tom Barker, Head of Collaborative Response (second left) and Jo Fletcher (centre) with Joshua Berrisford, Scott Fretwell and Megan Cantwell from Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service.