PURPOSE The purpose is to report on the mental health response to the Grenfell incident within the London Fire Brigade (LFB).
DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH The LFB implemented screening for the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at 28 days, 3 months and 6 months for all personnel directly involved in the incident.
FINDINGS The prevalence of PTSD within frontline personnel was 13.4% at 28 days, falling to 7.6% at 6 months. The LFB's internal Counselling and Wellbeing Service offered treatment to those scoring above the cut-off for PTSD along with accepting self-referral and referrals from line managers and occupational health. There were 139 referrals within the 12-month period following the incident. Research limitations/implications The outcomes for those who engaged in treatment are broadly in line with other studies evaluating post-disaster interventions. Issues for consideration within national guidelines are discussed. Practical implications The screen and treat approach adopted by LFB was shown to be a feasible approach to use within such a scenario.
ORIGINALITY/VALUE The current study reports on a screen and treat approach to one of the largest single incidents in the UK in recent years.
Language: en
Keywords
Emergency services; Mental health response; Posttraumatic stress disorder; Psychological treatment; Screen and treat