Fire officers offering home visit health checks in North Tyneside

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service says the pilot could be life-saving

Fire officers fitting smoke alarms will now also offer free health checks to vulnerable people.

The pilot scheme will see Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service firefighters checking the blood pressure and heart rates of people who choose not to visit their GP for routine health checks.

It came after officers installing alarms realised many people they saw were at high risk of health conditions.

If successful it could be expanded outside of North Tyneside.

Samantha Griffin, who has ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis), accepted a free health check when she booked a visit to fit a smoke alarm for her flat.

Samantha Griffin said she appreciated meeting Sara Middleton from the fire service in person

The 52-year-old said: "The face-to-face aspect of the welfare check is so important especially at a time where people's time is so precious, and a lot of assessments and referrals are being done online over the internet.

"It's that connection between people that can help assess - there and then - the needs of the person."

Ms Griffin, who was diagnosed with ME in 2007 after having chronic fatigue, she added she found it important to spent a "few minutes trying to keep herself and her property safe".

Under the pilot everyone who has a test is given a copy of their results, which they can pass on to their GPs.

The fire service's head of prevention and education Steve Thomas said as teams were welcomed into the homes of hundreds of people every year, it "made sense while we are there to offer a health check service".

High blood pressure and atrial fibrillation can sometimes have no symptoms

"We also recognise that long-term health issues such as heart disease and strokes could increase somebody's vulnerability," Mr Thomas added.

"If we can keep people healthier with this scheme then it reduces the risk of them being injured in a fire as some health issues do pose greater hazards to residents in their home so prevention advice and actions are crucial."

A spokesperson for North Tyneside Council said the Safe and Well visits "aimed to reduce barriers" some people faced, including needing to make a GP appointment.

The authority has encouraged people to take it up the painless tests which it called "a great offer for residents".