Telecare Carbon Monoxide (CO) Detector Incident.

The Digital Telecare Programme has received a report from South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) that raises concerns about the current 2022 Home Fire Safety Standards and the potential life-threatening risk this poses to citizens. We ask that you consider the incident information detailed below and establish a plan within your organisation to mitigate this risk for your service users.

Incident Overview:

South Lanarkshire HSCP has reported that a potentially serious incident was prevented due to the installation of a telecare carbon monoxide (CO) detector in a kitchen with a gas boiler. The detector inadvertently identified a CO leak originating from a faulty gas hob.

This occurrence was reported to South Lanarkshire HSCP by one of their Care and Repair Technicians. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) attended the scene, and fortunately, no one was seriously affected by the CO leak. South Lanarkshire HSCP is contacting the SFRS to confirm the exact details of the report.

However, this incident raises significant concerns given that the current 2022 Home Fire Safety Standards state that "Gas cookers and hobs do not need a carbon monoxide detector.”

South Lanarkshire HSCP Current Standards and Practices:

Since 2020, South Lanarkshire has installed telecare smoke, heat, and CO sensors that meet the current regulations. However, CO detectors are not specifically installed in kitchens to detect CO leaks from gas hobs or cookers.

Care and Repair South Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire HSCP’s installers, have reported that some community alarm service users have gas boilers in bedrooms rather than kitchens. This means that if they also have a gas cooker or hob, they would not need a telecare CO sensor in the kitchen under the current regulations.

Immediate Actions from South Lanarkshire HSCP:

In response to this incident, South Lanarkshire HSCP plan implement the following actions:

Disconnecting Gas Cookers and Hobs: Several users of their community alarm service with telecare smoke, heat, and CO detectors have already had their gas cookers and hobs disconnected due to assessed risk.
New Telecare Fire Safety Requests: Care and Repair technicians will install a CO sensor in kitchens with gas hobs or cookers, even if not requested.
Fire Safety Checks: Care and Repair technicians will install a telecare CO sensor in kitchens with gas hobs or cookers during fire safety visits if none is installed.
Reporting: Care and Repair will provide the South Lanarkshire HSCP TEC team with a report on all completed telecare fire safety check visits, noting CO sensor installation and their locations if available.
Service User Follow-Up: The South Lanarkshire HSCP TEC team will contact service users or their next of kin who had a telecare fire safety check but lack a CO sensor, especially in kitchens, to check for gas cookers or hobs.
Revisits for CO Sensor Installation: Care and Repair will revisit service users who have a gas cooker or hob but lack a CO sensor, or do not have a CO sensor in the kitchen, to install one.

Incident Conclusion:

This incident highlights a critical gap in the current Home Fire Safety Standards and the need for immediate action to ensure the safety of our community alarm service users. By implementing the above measures, South Lanarkshire HSCP aim to mitigate the risk of CO leaks from gas hobs and cookers and enhance the overall safety of their telecare service users.