Partnership shortlisted for national award
A partnership between Surrey Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) and NHS Surrey and Sussex has been shortlisted for Collaboration of the Year at the Excellence in Fire & Emergency Awards.
The Surrey Fire and Rescue Service Home Safety and Falls Prevention Programme is a first-of-its-kind partnership with NHS Surrey and Sussex, delivering targeted, person-centred support to some of the county’s most vulnerable residents.
Launched in February 2025, the programme enables fire and rescue service specialists to visit patients recently discharged from hospital or receiving care at home. By combining fire safety, health and social support into a single intervention, the collaboration addresses multiple risks in one visit - reducing harm, improving wellbeing and preventing future demand on emergency services.
Each visit delivers three integrated strands:
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Fire safety: home safety advice and the installation of specialist equipment including smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, deaf alarms and flame-retardant materials.
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Falls prevention: practical adaptations such as grab rails, rug grippers and assistive aids to reduce risk in the home.
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Fuel poverty support: provision of heating equipment and financial support (during the winter of 2025/26) to ensure residents can remain warm and safe.
Now delivered by dedicated Surrey Fire and Rescue Service Home Safety Check Advisors trained as NHS Trusted Assessors, the programme goes beyond traditional fire and rescue service activity.
The impact is significant. The service is now delivering more than 40 visits per month, reducing falls, preventing fire risk and supporting safe and timely hospital discharges. By intervening early, the programme reduces ambulance and other emergency service callouts, hospital admissions, and demand on occupational therapy and social care services. NHS Surrey and Sussex estimates this has already delivered a £150,000 reduction in NHS spend.
This collaboration is uniquely targeted at residents most at risk - older and vulnerable individuals who are often hardest to reach. Referrals from GPs and community health teams ensure the service is focused where it will have the greatest impact.
The programme is also driving wider system change. It supports faster hospital discharge, frees up critical bed space, prevents unnecessary urgent intervention and enables people to remain independent in their own homes for longer. It is now being adopted as an exemplar of best practice, with interest from partners seeking to replicate the model.
The nomination recognises a truly integrated, preventative collaboration, bringing together fire and rescue, health and local government to deliver better outcomes for residents while reducing pressure across the public sector.
We congratulate everyone involved in the programme on this national recognition and wish them the very best of luck at the awards.