Sheffield medical students work with fire service

University of Sheffield medical students were provided placements with South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue to give them an insight into potential ties between the fire service and health bodies.

They then presented their ideas for how the fire service could help reduce demand on health services in a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style competition.

The winning group came up with innovative ways in which the fire service can help to prevent falls, with one in three people over 65 in the UK experiencing a fall each year.

The group’s ideas included training fire service staff to identify fall hazards, setting up a referral pathway between the fire service and GPs and developing a mobile app to give practical steps people can take to reduce their risk of falls.

Assistant Chief Fire Officer Martin Blunden, said: “We were impressed by the enthusiasm of all the students in researching their ideas for how the fire and rescue service can contribute to local health outcomes, and were particularly impressed with the innovative approaches taken by the winning team.”