Pharmacies in Staffordshire are teaming up with the fire service to help offer fire safety checks to dementia patients.

Members of South Staffordshire LPC had volunteered to hand out information to dementia patients and their carers about free safety checks on homes when they collect their medication, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service told C+D yesterday (January 13).

Dementia patients were a difficult group for the fire service to target, said head of risk reduction Glynn Luznyj, but their homes were most at risk. He is therefore looking forward to harnessing the expertise of local pharmacists to better promote the checks. 

Members of South Staffordshire LPC will hand out information to dementia patients about free fire safety checks on homes when they collect their medication	More on elderly care Update: Dementia part 1 Update: Dementia part 2 Pharmacy Staff Module 215 - Care for the elderly
	The scheme will start in East Staffordshire pharmacies, with the aim of rolling it out across the county after a three-month trial.

Mr Luznyj praised local pharmacies for their willingness to be proactive in helping the fire service. "We're pushing against an open door with pharmacists," he said. "They're willing to push the agenda in terms of health but also fire safety."

Martin Wilson, South Staffordshire LPC vice-chairman, said he would like to see pharmacists involved in other similar schemes. "Pharmacists have day-to-day contact with dementia sufferers and their carers," he said. "Anything we can do to improve the health and safety of dementia patients is a good thing."

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) agreed that pharmacy had an active role to play in helping dementia sufferers. "This is exactly the kind of scheme we'd like to see rolled out across pharmacies. It makes the most of the contact that pharmacy has with the most vulnerable members of the community," said RPS head of corporate communications Neal Patel.