Residents who have a fall or need assistance returning home from hospital will continue to be supported by Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service after funding for two schemes was extended until the end of this year.

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service has responded to thousands of callouts as part of its partnership with health services in recent years.

The Falls Response Service aims to cut ambulance waits and hospital stays by responding to residents who have fallen but not suffered any injuries.

The Home from Hospital service was launched a year later to assist the NHS in discharging patients from Royal Stoke University Hospital.

Both started as three-month pilot schemes, but have continued to be funded after proving successful. At this month's Fire and Rescue Public Performance Meeting, an update was given on future arrangements.

Glynn Luznyj, who will become Chief Fire Officer next month, said: "The Integrated Care Board is a really strong partner of the Fire and Rescue Service here in Staffordshire working on these projects and we have had some positive news.

"In terms of the Falls Response we're delighted the Integrated Care Board have agreed to extend the funding for another eight months, which will take us to at least November 2026.

"In terms of the Home from Hospital we've increased that by 10 months, so at least January 2027.

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"That gives us some surety that for at least the near term we can continue to provide those services which are undoubtedly both saving lives, promoting better health outcomes and taking pressure off the NHS, which I think everybody would recognise is an added benefit."

Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Ben Adams, who asked for an update on future funding of the services, said: "I was delighted to hear that – I was a bit nervous about asking the question because it matters to people this extra value service. All credit to the ICB."

The Falls Response Service went live in December 2022 and has provided service every day since. There have been 3,489 mobilisations so far, a report to the meeting said.

Mr Adams said: "That's close to three a day – that's not infrequent. That's definitely saving time in hospital, people being on the floor getting hypothermia.

"On the Home from Hospital team, we're on 4,700 since December 2023. These are really successful interventions, getting right into the sharp end with health colleagues."

The report to the meeting said that 94% of patients supported by the Falls Response team were over 60. It added: "The team responds to the whole county of Staffordshire and has an average attendance time of under 38 minutes – overall, each job takes an average of 67 minutes to complete.

"The majority of patients (using the Home from Hospital service) continue to be elderly with 95% being over 60, which is a risk factor associated with fire and enables us to carry out a Home Fire Safety Visit.

"Since expanding the role and taking on new responsibilities in July 2024, which further support and facilitate the transfer of patients to their homes, the team has completed 1,031 key safe installations, 249 furniture move jobs (and) 33 property inspections; with all activities combined the team is now completing between six and seven jobs per day on average."

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