Growing reliance on telecare “must not come at the expense of fire safety”

Publishing a new TEC Policy Position Statement, the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) is calling for stronger regulation and oversight of home care technology services to help ensure the people who rely on them are kept safe.

An estimated two million people across the country rely on telecare to live independently in their own homes. Many of these people are among those most vulnerable to fire, including older people, people with disabilities and those living with long-term health conditions. The risks facing these groups are well established. Over the last decade, more than 30% of fire fatalities in England involved people aged over 65 living alone.

Fire chiefs suggest that action is needed given longstanding Fire and Rescue Service concerns about the role of TEC services in incidents where vulnerable people have died in fires. Coroners’ Prevention of Future Deaths Reports issued over the last two decades have also highlighted recurring failures, including fire risks not being identified, linked smoke detection not being installed, alarms not being connected to monitoring systems and critical information not being passed to emergency responders.

Demand for telecare services is expected to grow significantly as the population ages and more care is delivered at home. More than a quarter of the population is projected to be aged over 65 by 2065, while an estimated 9.1 million people are expected to be living with a major illness in England by 2040, increasing the number of people who may rely on support to live independently.

The NFCC is calling on the UK and devolved Governments to review and strengthen regulation of TEC services, noting that stronger standards, accreditation and quality assurance are needed to help prevent vulnerable people being put at unnecessary risk. The NFCC is also calling on TEC providers to follow the NFCC’s recommendations around Best Practice.

British Standards

Terry Pinto, TEC lead at the NFCC and prevention lead at the Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Telecare can be life-saving, but only when a person’s needs and fire risks are properly assessed and equipment is installed, maintained and monitored in accordance with recognised British Standards.”

Pinto continued: “Having personally reviewed fatal fires in Norfolk and supported other Fire and Rescue Services with similar cases, I’ve seen the same concerns arise repeatedly. It’s deeply concerning that issues identified years ago are still occurring, particularly so when we know that making sure these systems are right can save lives.”

Further, Pinto observed: “We need stronger oversight, consistent standards and clear accountability right across the sector. People who rely on telecare solutions should be able to trust that these systems will provide the protection they expect when they need it most.”

The NFCC feels that improvements are needed across a sector where accreditation remains voluntary in many areas. Less than two-thirds of TEC Alarm Receiving Centres are currently certified through the TEC Services Association's Quality Standards Framework. Many Monitoring Centres, providers and suppliers continue to operate without formal oversight.

Quality assurance

As the demand for TEC services continues to grow, the TEC Services Association (TSA), itself the independent advisory and membership body for the TEC sector, has highlighted the importance of quality assurance and professional standards.

Alyson Scurfield OBE, CEO of the TSA, commented: “The NFCC’s position is a strong endorsement of the importance of standards, independent certification and quality assurance in the domain of technology-enabled care. We particularly welcome its call for TEC providers to be independently certified through a UKAS-accredited body.”

Scurfield went on to state: “The TSA has long supported higher and more consistent standards across the sector, and through TEC Quality and the Quality Standards Framework we are helping providers to demonstrate that they meet recognised standards and give commissioners and people who use TEC greater confidence in the services upon which they rely. We look forward to continuing our work with the NFCC to support safer and better quality TEC.”

The NFCC’s position statement calls for all TEC providers to hold third party accreditation, for Alarm Receiving Centre staff to receive accredited training and for providers to demonstrate compliance with relevant British Standards. It also calls for fire safety prevention and mitigation measures to form a key part of health-based risk assessments for vulnerable people, including linked and monitored smoke and carbon monoxide detection where residents may be unable to react appropriately or evacuate without assistance during a fire.

The position statement also calls for national Governments to provide continuous and adequate funding for local authorities to support TEC provision, as well as independent academic research into TEC patient safety and fire risk.

The NFCC also commented that the ongoing digital switchover provides an ideal opportunity to strengthen resilience, improve safety and raise standards across the sector as services continue to modernise.

*Further information is available online at www.nfcc.org.uk