Agenda item

Purpose of report: For members to consider and comment on the services performance and progress following the outcomes of the inspection carried out by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) in Spring 2023.

The Committee received a report of the Surrey Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) on performance and progress following the outcomes of the inspection carried out by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) in Spring 2023.

Witnesses:

Kevin Deanus, Cabinet Member for Fire and Rescue, and Resilience.

Bernadette Beckett, Chief of Staff.

Elizabeth Lacey, Head of Change.

Sally Wilson, Assistant Chief Fire Officer.

Key points made in the discussion:

1. The Chief of Staff said that the cause of concern issued by the HMICRFS was about SFRS’s risk-based inspection programme and identifying its highest-risk premises and meeting its own targets.  All SFRS staff are aware of the expectations on them in managing the risk-based inspection programme. The HMICRFS returned in February 2024, carried out a detailed inspection of the SFRS, and discharged the concern.

2. A Member asked about the process of identifying high-risk sites and the communication across the SFRS to spread the knowledge of these high-risk sites. The Head of Change said that the risk-based inspection programme was based on operational crews visiting all sites over a 12-month period, and as of July 2024, 100% of the sites are up to date. The visits were coordinated through the Community Risk Management Database. Local crews were also informed about local risks, which were included in station level and borough level plans.

3. A Member asked how activities for the improvement plan were prioritized, considering the large number of tasks to complete, and which tasks represented the greatest priorities for achieving a significant reduction in risk. The Head of Change said that many activities had been undertaken, all which differ in size and complexity. Some tasks were resolved quickly, while others required a more robust management approach. All areas noted for improvement were treated as priorities, with a focus on Safe and Well visits for the most vulnerable members of the community.

4. A Member asked about changing staff behaviour, how changes were managed, and what adjustments to performance management were necessary. The Head of Change said that all areas of improvement required changes in behaviour. No modifications were needed for the performance management framework; however, efforts were underway to improve team familiarity.

5. A Member asked a supplementary question about how these changes are being accepted by the staff. The Head of Change said that the changes were received positively.

6. The Chairman asked about the new Prevent and Protect software, the technology roll out and achieving productivity gains. The Head of Change said that the software went live on 1 July 2024, with the primary focus on Fire Safety Teams.  Although it was too early to know about productivity gains, the system received positive feedback.

7. The Chairman asked about the status of the Safe and Well visits. The Assistant Chief Fire Officer said there had been a significant improvement in the number of visits, although still below the national average. The number of visits should align more closely with the national average this year. Additional staff were being recruited to assist with scheduling Safe and Well visits.

8. The Chairman asked about staff nearing retirement that want to continue working with this kind of work. The Assistant Chief Fire Officer said that there were frequent opportunities for staff nearing retirement to engage in a staff or volunteering role.

9. A Member asked why Safe and Well visits were below target, and questioned the necessity of conducting business Safe and Well visits when other Safe and Well visits were not meeting the target. The Assistant Chief Fire Officer noted that the target number for Business Safe and Well Visits should be lower than the Safe and Well visits, as SFRS wants to reach the most vulnerable in the community first. 

10. A Member noted that she would like reassurance that visits were occurring around Epsom and Ewell and reaching the community. The Assistant Chief Fire Officer said that efforts were made to provide Safe and Well visits in the community, noting challenges in reaching certain areas of the county.

11. The Chairman said that Councillors needed to know how to promote visits and asked that an email be sent outlining how to promote the Safe and Well visits in the local community.

12. A Member asked about the Business Safety Audits, questioning why they received a red rating without a comparable benchmark and what options existed for improvement. The Assistant Chief Fire Officer said that Business Safety Audits aligned with the Risk-Based Inspection Programme. It needed to be investigated why targets were not being met.

13. A Member asked about the status of recruitment, retention, and morale, as well as SFRS sickness absence rates compared to national figures and potential solutions. The Chief of Staff said that the 2022 survey indicated an improvement in workplace culture and morale across the service. Attrition rates remained stable, though there was a slight increase in departures among support staff. The sickness absence rates were higher than national figures, primarily due to long-term illnesses.

14. The Chairman asked about the relationship between SFRS and the Fire Brigade union. The Chief of Staff said that the relationship is very good.

15. A Member asked how recruiting for fixed-term positions was impacting the service. The Chief of Staff said that fixed-term roles only apply to support staff. However, the overall experience indicated no impact to the quality of applicants within the recruitment process to date.

16. A Member said that the data indicated that the percentage of disabled individuals was 8.9% compared to England’s average of 5.9%, and asked why it had been designated as red. The Assistant Chief Fire Officer said that the percentage is red because the county profile of 13.8%.

17. A Member asked if there will be any lessons learned in the Grenfell Tower Phase II report that is due in September. The Chief of Staff confirmed that the report will be taken into consideration.

Decision:

The Committee NOTED that:

1. The Cause for Concern–Risk-based Inspection Programme had been discharged.

2. The Surrey Fire and Rescue Service’s new IT system (Prevent and Protect software) was rolled out to the Fire Inspection Team and will then be rolled out all teams in the Service.

3. Safe and Well visits were currently below the national average, that the Service aims to align these with the national average this year. Enhanced processes are now in place, and the Surrey Fire and Rescue Service presented information on annual Business Safety visits, which require risk-based inspection and are more time intensive.

4. Staff levels have benefitted from improvements in Surrey Fire and Rescue Service’s culture and improved morale, with attrition of staff is currently stable.

Actions/requests for further information:

Assistant Chief Fire Officer: Request an email be sent to all 81 county councillors on the best way a councillor can promote Safe and Well visits in the communities.