The Fire Fighters Charity delivers 10,000 virtual consultations since start of pandemic

The Fire Fighters Charity is celebrating a significant milestone, having delivered more than 10,000 online video consultations to individuals in the fire services community – supporting them with their health and wellbeing – since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Charity supports serving and retired fire and rescue service personnel, their dependants and other eligible members of the UK fire services community, throughout their lives, helping them to live happier and healthier.

Expanding its digital support in order to reach more members of the UK’s fire services community has been a long standing strategic goal for the organisation. Fast tracked as a result of the pandemic, the rollout of its successful virtual consultation tools has seen a rapid take up of the Charity’s online support, with more people reached and supported over the past two years than would ever have been possible to support through the Charity’s three residential centres alone.

Sharon Bailey, The Fire Fighters Charity’s Director of Beneficiary Services, said: “Reaching 10,000 online consultations is a significant milestone and shows we are ‘fleet of foot’, responsive and adaptable to meet the needs of our beneficiaries – all part of our transformative work as we move into the future. Thank you to everyone who has helped us achieve this.”

The Charity’s digital sessions cover a range of services, from online physiotherapy and counselling through to initial assessments and follow-ups.

The Charity’s new digital solutions have meant that it can reach more individuals in the fire services community and provide support much earlier, while bringing the skills and expertise of its practitioner team out into the community.

Meanwhile, the Charity also has the flexibility to blend this approach with its residential support where needed – via its three centres, Harcombe House in Devon, Marine Court in West Sussex and Jubilee House in Cumbria – to ensure it’s meeting individual needs.

Just one of the thousands of people the Charity has helped is Paul Fisher, a retired firefighter from Staffordshire and Norfolk Fire and Rescue Services, who benefited from the Charity’s digital physiotherapy when he experienced back pain due to a prolapsed disc.

By following his personalised exercise programme, his mobility improved and his pain reduced. Paul, who had also recently been given a diagnosis of cancer, mentioned that his wife Sue was also struggling with her physical health. Again, input from the Charity’s physiotherapy team helped Sue get back on track and both Paul and Sue were able to continue their rehabilitation journey when they participated in a residential programme at Jubilee House at a later date.