NURSES TO HELP FORENSIC MEDICAL EXAMINERS IN POLICE STATIONS
A new scheme that will see highly trained nurses carrying out medical work in police stations is to be launched, on a trial basis, in Co Durham.
They will do a variety of tasks currently performed by the Durham Police's medical examiners, allowing the police doctors to concentrate on specialist work.
A pilot scheme in Durham and Derwentside has proved a great success, giving the green light to the new service that will be the first of its type in the country.
Det Supt Neil Malkin said at present there are 11 forensic medical examiners in the force area.
Talks with the primary care trust have resulted in an agreement to provide a pool of nurses who can be called in by police whenever they are needed.
This pool of expertise, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, will initially feed the three areas of greatest demand - Darlington, Durham and Peterlee - but they will cover all of County Durham and Darlington.
"We are hoping to increase the number of FMEs to 13 but they will be there to concentrate on the forensic medical work they have been trained in, such as carrying out examinations in alleged sexual offences," Det Supt Malkin said.
"A lot of the routine work they currently perform, such as taking blood for example, can be done by the nurses and the pilot scheme has shown it works very well.
"It has created a mixed skills team and there has been a very positive feedback from the staff."
The cost of setting up the nursing contract will be just short of half a million pounds a year but it is expected that there will be savings made in the long term.
ENDS