Concerns raised as Derbyshire fire fighters increasingly being called to move obese patients

Concerns have been raised about the number of times Derbyshire firefighters are being called out to help ambulance crews move obese patients.

Since 2019, Derbyshire fire service has been called in by East Midlands Ambulance Service to help move “bariatric” patients, those with a body mass index of 30+ (classed as obese by the NHS), 351 times.

The figure has been increasing year on year, a Derbyshire County Council meeting yesterday (December 9) was told, with 19 incidents in the first quarter of 2024 (April to June).

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Assistance with heavier and larger patients forms a significant proportion of the calls the ambulance service makes to the fire service for support, with 81 total calls during that time.

Since 2019, Derbyshire fire service has been called in by East Midlands Ambulance Service to help move “bariatric” patients, those with a body mass index of 30+ (classed as obese by the NHS), 351 times.placeholder image
Since 2019, Derbyshire fire service has been called in by East Midlands Ambulance Service to help move “bariatric” patients, those with a body mass index of 30+ (classed as obese by the NHS), 351 times.

The total number of calls for obese patient support, from the ambulance service to the fire service, was 79 in 2023, 91 in 2022, 84 in 2021, 45 in 2020 and 33 in 2019.

This year’s initial statistics of 19 calls in the first quarter compare to 13, 18, 15, eight and eight in the respective first quarters of each of the past five years.

Cllr Ludwig Ramsey, who has also been a member of the Derbyshire Fire Authority since 2014, said: “This has been going on for a number of years and it is going up year on year.

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“It is taking away our resources. The fire service is also taking these calls and then when they get there there is no ambulance.

“The fear is that they are there helping with these patients and there is a fire going on somewhere else and they are dealing with this instead.

“It is only going to go up more and more and you either need to deal with it yourselves or the fire service needs more resources.”

Craig Whyles, East Midlands Ambulance Service’s divisional director for Derbyshire, told the meeting: “There is no doubt there is a larger patient cohort of people for larger bariatric patients.

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“There are patients that are too large to fit in our ambulances but need our assistance and from time to time we do need assistance from other parties, including the fire service, we do rely on them from time to time.”

“Regrettably we are in that position. I’ve not been made aware of any situation where we have caused a delay to a fire because they have been helping us with a patient.”

Clive Stanbrook, Derbyshire fire and rescue service’s area manager, said: “Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service works closely with partners such as East Midlands Ambulance Service to support and provide the best possible care to its communities.

“Between April and September 2024, the service was called to assist ambulance crews at 189 incidents including 38 complex rescues. This was an increase of 20 per cent on the same period the previous year, with numbers increasing by over half since 2021.

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“When DFRS is called to assist EMAS, this utilises our resources meaning they are unavailable to attend other emergencies that fall under our legislative duty as a fire and rescue service, such as fires and road traffic collisions.

“However, this does not mean we will not respond to an incident with our control room mobilising the next nearest crew.”

A spokesperson detailed “our crews do not assist in conveying patients to hospital, only in supporting the safe movement of patients”.

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