Press Releases

GROUND BREAKING PROJECT IS OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE

Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service has hosted a special visit by the Secretary of State for Communities & Local Government, Hazel Blears to officially launch a country-wide first for the county which will help caring organisations share data and help vulnerable elderly people.

The Service has worked in partnership with numerous agencies including the NHS, Cheshire County Council Social Services, Cheshire, Halton and Warrington Information Consortium and business insight and IT providers IBM and Esprit. The work over the last five years has resulted in this unique initiative which will help reduce risks to residents.

In the last two years, the Service has delivered almost 100,000 home safety assessments which includes the fitting of smoke alarms and general fire safety advice and through this joint agency sharing of information if consent is given, a further 118,000 assessments will be carried out between 2008-2010.

Hazel Blears, Secretary of State for Communities & Local Government said: "This is an excellent example of the Fire and Rescue Service spotting an issue and doing something about it. As a result of its drive and determination and the commitment of its key partners, vulnerable elderly people in Cheshire can now benefit from many more services.

Councillor Tony Hooton, Chair of the Fire Authority added; "Today, my thanks go to our partners who have worked with us to accomplish a truly unique achievement.  This data and other initiatives will allow us to target those in most need and to continue reducing house fires, damage to property, fire deaths and injuries. 

"I strongly believe that this joined up approach will have significant benefits for our partners and for the community as it will help people to stay healthy and live independently, ultimately improving their quality of life."

Cheshire County Councillor Lynn Hardwick, the Executive member for Adult Social Services added: "Continuing with our successful implementation of single assessment across Cheshire County Council and the NHS, we are now delighted to be working with Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service in widening the support we can offer to vulnerable people.

"We believe that this project is the way forward because it offers confidentiality for the people involved while providing accurate sharing of information which will reduce risks to service users."

Andrew Bushell, IBM Client Manager added: "This is an excellent example of IT being used to deliver shared services to local Government agencies. We're very proud to have been involved in something that has allowed Cheshire to combine its providers and agencies into a single virtual organisation that delivers better-managed, co-ordinated care to the vulnerable."