The Fife Dementia Strategy: 2010 – 2020 - The Knowledge Network

4.12 Emergency Services
AIM
Emergency service providers are equipped with the skills and
knowledge to effectively work with people with confusion or memory
loss. Effective communication skills and being able to recognise when
somebody may have dementia is an important part of many services provided
by the Fire, Police or Ambulance Service, whether it is as a preventative
measure or during a period of acute need.
RECOMMENDATION TO ACHIEVE THIS
4.12.1 Fife Council and NHS Fife work jointly with Fife Constabulary, the
Scottish Ambulance Service and Fife Fire & Rescue to develop an
appropriate level of dementia awareness.
Fife Constabulary, Fife Fire and Rescue Service and the Fife branch of the
Scottish Ambulance Service all play an important role in the lives of older
people and people with dementia. All three services work on a regular basis in
community outreach work to improve the lives and reduce the risks of older
people, and also in emergency situations as required.
Fife Fire and Rescue Service has identified older people as one of the at risk
groups for having a fire in their home, and thus do preventative education and
fire safety visits throughout Fife. The Scottish Ambulance Service works with
older people daily through their patient transport service, and the Police play a
key role in ensuring community safety and protecting vulnerable people such
as those with dementia. They may be involved with a person with dementia in
a number of routine and emergency situations which require that the worker
involved is able to identify and respond to the needs of the individual.
In the short term this can be achieved by each service working jointly with
NHS Fife and Fife Council to develop or participate in local dementia training
and awareness events. In the long term it is necessary that staff are
appropriately trained during induction with additional opportunities for ongoing
development available. For all three organisations induction training in
completed at a national level and thus work must begin here.
Additionally, ensuring emergency services have access to the right
information is often essential to the success of any operation. As highlighted
throughout this document, appropriately crafted care plans may play an
important role if someone with dementia is missing or requires emergency
care. It is thus essential that care plans are kept up to date, have an
appropriate amount of information and that emergency services are aware of
how to rapidly access them.
Also, Fife Telecare Development programme will continue to extend its work
with emergency services. Currently the Telecare Programme Team is working
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