Norfolk Community Health and Care Trust - Fire Risk Assessments

Norfolk Community Health and Care Trust (NCH&C Trust) provides community-based NHS health and
care services to individuals of all ages, via more than 70 different service locations across Norfolk. 

Project Overview 

Pennington Choices were commissioned by NCH&C Trust to undertake Fire Risk Assessments (FRAs)
on 13 buildings across their stock. The properties assessed included a varied mix of healthcare
buildings, GP surgeries, children's homes, rehabilitation facilities, hospitals, wards, offices, and health
centres.

Each assessment was conducted on-site by one of our fully qualified and accredited fire risk
assessors. Non-residential FRAs include:

1. A visit to the premises to assess the levels of compliance with UK Fire Safety law and to
   assess the overall risk of fire and fire spread.
2. Interviews with representatives of the various jobs, including supervisory/management as
   considered necessary.
3. An inspection of all accessible areas as below:
   • Potential fire sources
   • Housekeeping
   • Electrical safety
   • Gas installations
   • High-risk areas
   • Other significant fire hazards
   • Procedures and arrangements
   • Means of escape
   • Compartmentation and fire doors
   • Comment on suitability of the external wall construction
   • Alarms and detection systems
   • Emergency lighting
   • Firefighting appliances
   • Signage security
   • Training and information

In the past, we have worked with NCH&C Trust to support them with:
• Authorised Engineer Services
• Fire Door Inspections
• Fire Compartmentation Surveys
• Retrospective Fire Strategies and Consultancy

Our Approach 

Our team began the project with a mobilisation meeting with NCH&C Trust to confirm requirements
and timelines for each FRA. Due to our established working relationship with the Trust, a pilot study
was not necessary as clear lines of communication were already in place.

Our appointed fire risk assessor also served as the Trust’s Authorised Engineer, ensuring continuity
and regular communication throughout the project.

As Authorised Engineer, we also provided technical consultancy over and above the skill set of
people who work in the Trust, and we advised them on bespoke matters to ensure fire safety is
maintained in a dynamic environment.

We used Simpro, the cloud-based job and project management software, to effectively schedule the
FRAs and SafetyCulture, the workplace operations platform, to create and send comprehensive
reports.

Live data, including notes and photographic evidence, was collected on-site using mobile devices,
enabling real-time documentation. Completed reports were validated and uploaded to a secure
client SharePoint in PDF format, with accompanying action plans provided in CSV format.
Our dedicated Planning, Scheduling and Dispatch team managed all scheduling throughout the
project, ensuring assessments were arranged at suitable times and progress was regularly
communicated to the client.

Following the completion of each FRA, a detailed resultant report and corresponding action plan
were compiled by our assessor. These reports were then subject to internal validation and quality
assurance process, ensuring accuracy and consistency. 

The Challenge 

Healthcare environments are highly technical and require a specialist skill set to understand and
apply fire safety regulations appropriately. Our fire risk assessors are specifically trained and
experienced in navigating these environments, ensuring compliance with relevant fire safety
guidance for healthcare.

Our Achievements 

All Fire Risk Assessments were completed within a 10-working-day Key Performance Indicator (KPI),
including report writing and validation.
We achieved:

• 100% of KPIs met
• 100% adherence to deadlines
• 100% of FRAs successfully completed

This project has further strengthened our ongoing partnership with NCH&C Trust, who have since renewed our contract for an additional year of Authorised Engineer Services.