Requests for information or services are recorded on a simple form.

2 September 2009

A scheme enabling vulnerable people to receive vital help from a variety of sources with the minimum of fuss is being extended to cover the whole of Buckinghamshire.

The Home Safety Check initiative, administered by Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service, already operates in Aylesbury Vale, Chiltern and South Bucks. A launch event to complete the jigsaw will be held in High Wycombe tomorrow morning.

The scheme is the result of collaboration between emergency services, councils, the NHS, voluntary organisations, charities and housing associations. A similar scheme, called Safe at Home, runs in Milton Keynes.

Terry Ridgley, Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service’s community safety manager, said: “The Home Safety Check scheme is designed to make life much easier for members of the community who need help and support to live safely and independently in their own homes.

“The first person from any professional agency that has to visit a vulnerable adult at home can identify any areas of need, and then call on other agencies who may be able to provide the appropriate information or services.

“All the organisations involved have worked together to devise a simple, single form that incorporates questions relating to accident, fire and crime prevention. Each time an officer from any involved agency makes a home visit, either routinely or to provide a special service, he or she can fill in one of these forms.”

For example, if firefighters are fitting smoke alarms in someone’s home as part of a fire safety visit, and the occupant also wants information about home security or social services, that information can be passed on to the appropriate agency for action to be taken.

Terry added: “It avoids duplication of referrals and is a shining example of just how closely and effectively our organisations are pooling their resources and working together for the benefit of the communities they serve.”

The launch event at Wycombe District Council's offices will be attended by representatives of Buckinghamshire & Milton Keynes Fire Authority and the other agencies involved.

They include Wycombe District Council, Buckinghamshire County Council, Thames Valley Police, the Primary Care Trust, Buckinghamshire Drug and Alcohol Action Team, Help the Aged/Age Concern, Bucks Vision, the Royal National Institute for Deaf People and Neighbourhood Watch.

• For more information about the Home Safety Check scheme in Aylesbury Vale, Chiltern, South Bucks and Wycombe, ring 01296 744477 or send an email to hsc@bucksfire.gov.uk
  
  
• For more information about the Safe at Home scheme in Milton Keynes, ring 01908 557886 or send an email to safeathome@ageconcernmk.org.uk