Mental health checks on older people could be carried out by fire and rescue personnel, helping more patients in need, according to researchers.

The Keele University academics have worked with the fire service to look at how it and other groups could collaborate to help vulnerable people.

The research examined the potential use of home fire safety visits to include detection for anxiety and depression.

More research was now needed around staff training, said the group.

Lead author of the study, Dr Tamsin Fisher, said the fire service had “an advantage in many ways” as they were “going into the homes of people who may not be seeing other people day-to-day or week-to-week”.

“They come into your home and it’s a general chat about safety,” she said.

“They will also ask questions about lifestyle and health, so we were wondering if they could probe a bit more around mental health.”

Mental ill-health in those aged 60 years and over often goes under-diagnosed and under-treated, and they are less likely to access mental health services due to perceived stigma and fear of being a burden, researchers said.

They added that pressure on mental health services often made it difficult for healthcare professionals to identify conditions.

During the research, fire staff were interviewed and were found to be open to carrying out visits with a focus on mental health “provided they had sufficient training and support from partner agencies”.

Ian Read, Head of Prevent, Protect and Partnerships at Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service described the work with the team at Keele University as a “positive experience”.

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