This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Care Home Safety
28/01/2005
Fire safety in care homes must be balanced with
providing a good quality of life for residents, Jeff Ord,
Chief Inspector of Fire Services for Scotland, and Jacquie
Roberts, Chief Executive of the Care Commission, said in a
joint statement today.
Almost a year on from the tragedy of the fire at the
Rosepark Care Home at Uddingston, near Glasgow, when 14
elderly residents died, new advice on fire safety strategy
in care homes is now available.
Mr Ord said:
"A recent research report - which will be published
within the next few weeks - confirms the importance of
doors being kept closed to prevent the spread of smoke and
fire.
"A fire safety risk assessment undertaken by the
owner/occupier of a residential care home will identify
those doors which should be kept closed. Automatic
self-closing devices should normally be fitted to these
doors.
"The choice of self-closer type is important since some
are not appropriate in a care home for older people or
people with disabilities and advice should be sought from
the local Fire and Rescue Service.
"All care homes have call systems to ensure people can
get help when they need it. During the night it is
particularly important that the call system is within easy
reach of people who need help or extra reassurance.
"Some people will more readily accept their bedroom door
being closed at night if they are confident help is at
hand.
"Should residents, families or care providers be in any
doubt they should in the first instance contact their local
Fire and Rescue Service."
Jacquie Roberts said:
"The National Care Standards for care homes for older
people refer to the right of older people to be safe but
not be over protected and to make informed choices while
recognising the rights of other people to do the same.
There is a balance to be achieved between these sometimes
competing demands.
"Everyone living in a care home should have a personal
plan which details their care and support needs and how
these will be met including how risks will be reduced or
managed.
"The views of the individual and their carers should be
taken into account when the personal plan is developed.
Care providers and managers in care homes must adopt a
sensible and proportionate approach, which is based on
managing risk and balancing safety with the needs, rights
and choices of the service users.
"As part of our normal inspection routine, the Care
Commission will monitor the effect of these arrangements on
the quality of life for care home residents."
This joint statement on fire safety in care homes is the
latest initiative in a range of actions taken by the
Executive, and also in some instances in partnership with
the Care Commission and Fire and Rescue Authorities,
following the Rosepark fire.
The actions include :
- Arranging with the Care Commission for the Fire and
Rescue Service in Scotland to visit all 1800 or so
residential care homes to reassure residents and staff
and where necessary to recommend care home owners to
draw up action plans for refreshing their fire
precautions. The Care Commission will shortly be
appointing a dedicated Fire Safety Adviser on
secondment from a Fire and Rescue Authority in Scotland
to assist them further
- Announcing that from May 2005 all new residential
care buildings, sheltered housing and high rise blocks
of flats would require to have sprinklers fitted
- Introducing in the Scottish Parliament the Fire
(Scotland) Bill, Part 3 of which will bring in a new
fire safety regime with the emphasis on identifying and
reducing the risk of fire across a range of premises,
including residential care homes. The Bill will give
Fire and Rescue Authorities statutory responsibility
for enforcing the new regime.
- Making available to care home owners interim
technical guidance on fire safety measures pending the
production of specific fire safety guidance for
residential care homes as part of a suite of guidance
documents to be published on the new fire safety regime
when the Fire (Scotland) Bill is enacted
- From April 2005 each Fire and Rescue Authority will
be introducing local Integrated Risk Management Plans
(IRMPs) which will replace the exisiting recommended
Standards of Fire Cover. Residential care homes are
likely to have a high priority in IRMPs for regular
visits
Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson said:
"As we approach the first anniversary of the tragic
events which took place at the Rosepark Care Home last
year, it is vital that we continue to take all appropriate
steps to further protect older and vulnerable people from
the dangers of fire.
"I very much welcome this announcement which proposes a
sensible approach to fire safety in care homes balancing
the quality of life for the residents with safety and
choice.
"Rosepark was a terrible tragedy. It is important that
we continue to address any lessons learned so that we can
minimise the possibility of this happening again."