Consensus Statement on Saving Lives and Improving Health and Wellbeing between the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) and the Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA)
1. This consensus statement describes our intent to work together nationally to encourage local joint strategies for evidence-led partnership working to improve patient outcomes from out of hospital cardiac arrests; other responses related to medical conditions and longer term health and wellbeing.
Headline consensus statement
2. Our organisations exist to respond to the populations’ needs in times of crisis and to support the protection and improvement of their health and wellbeing.
3. We will work together locally and nationally to use our collective capabilities and resources to enhance the lives of the people in our communities and increase efficiency through:
Robust governance of standards and competencies
Effective Co-responder schemes
Co-location and shared infrastructure
Innovative programmes to improve health and wellbeing
Looking for opportunities to improve efficiency and effectiveness and reduce waste
Introduction
4. Ambulance Services and Fire and Rescue Services share a long history of effective collaborative working and, more recently, we have identified greater synergies to improve our ability to collectively respond to major incidents, including terrorist incidents and large scale flooding. This improved interoperability is reflected through the work of the Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Programme (JESIP) and tested through more challenging multi-agency exercises, such as Amber Exercises, co-ordinated by the National Ambulance Resilience Unit (NARU).
5. Demand for the Ambulance Service to respond to 999 calls continues to rise steadily year on year; ambulance trusts in England received over 9 million 999 calls in 2014-15 (up by over 6% on the previous year) resulting in 6.47 million incidents. A recent academic review commissioned by AACE identified an ageing population, an increase in the number of people living with long-term conditions and co-morbidities, social deprivation and population density among the key factors driving demand.
6. At the same time the number of fires has decreased significantly, largely due to the success of preventative work by Fire and Rescue Services. In 2014-15 Fire Services in England responded to 495,400 incidents; down by 6% compared to the previous year and a reduction of 42% compared to 10 years ago. This has created new opportunities for the Fire and Rescue Service to support the health and social care sector in general and the Ambulance Service in particular. The NHS Five Year Forward View highlights the need for an increased focus on integration and prevention so that resources are utilised more effectively, outcomes are improved and demand is reduced. This consensus statement builds on that premise.
Shared purpose
7. There are common underlying risk factors which increase demands on both Ambulance and Fire and Rescue Services, such as long-term conditions, cognitive impairment, smoking, drugs or substance misuse, physical inactivity, poor diet, obesity, loneliness and/or social isolation, cold homes and frailty. By identifying people with these risk factors and taking a whole system approach to interventions which are centred on peoples’ needs, we intend to make every contact count, irrespective of which service it is from.
8. Co-responder schemes to improve outcomes from out of hospital cardiac arrests have been introduced in various forms across the country. Other initiatives involving responding to those with minor conditions e.g. falls in the home, have also been introduced. Our two associations will work together at a national level to identify best practice within the UK and internationally in order to enhance the current provision.
Supporting local action and flexibility
9. We will encourage and support local organisations to work together more effectively in partnership and to improve collaboration between our two Services where possible, while supporting meaningful local flexibility in the way this happens. We will do this by;
Producing this consensus statement setting out our ambition to work together and encouraging local action to provide more effective responses; developing strategies to reduce demand and improving quality of life outcomes.
Identifying and exploiting opportunities to work together and improve synergies such as; more effective use of information across organisations, promoting use of existing guidance and best practice; and shared communication.
Where appropriate to local conditions, and where such arrangements do not denude essential fire cover, seeking to maximise the effectiveness of co-responding schemes.
Supporting the development of new initiatives and guidance that improve community and individual outcomes.
Looking at the opportunity for more effective data use across the Ambulance and Fire and Rescue Service.
Linking our collaborative work to that of others aimed at reducing demand and improving the health and wellbeing of our communities.
Looking for opportunities to release financial savings such as co-location of estates, shared control room facilities and control room functionality and joint procurement.
Martin Flaherty OBE
Managing Director, Association of Ambulance Chief Executives
Peter O’Reilly
Chief Fire Officer, Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service
Strategic Health Lead the Chief Fire Officers Association
17th March 2016
