Firefighters' Concordat on Health and Wellbeing: what it means

What the Concordat is and who announced it

A concordat is an agreement between organisations to work together towards shared aims. The Firefighters' Concordat on Health and Wellbeing is described on GOV.UK as a partnership framework to improve firefighters' health both during their service and after it, and to put prevention ahead of reactive treatment. It was announced on 16 April 2026 by the Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting, at the Fire Brigades Union, according to the GOV.UK announcement. Some trade press reported the date differently, but the government's own page is the source we rely on.

The announcement is a government commitment, not a piece of legislation. It does not create new legal rights for firefighters or new legal duties for fire and rescue services, at least on the face of what has been published. It sets direction and starts a programme of work. That is worth stating plainly, because early coverage sometimes described it in terms of what it might lead to rather than what it currently does.

The National Fire Chiefs Council's Chair, Phil Garrigan, welcomed it according to trade coverage, saying that prevention, early intervention and consistent standards are key. The union that campaigned for it, the FBU, had for some time called for regular health monitoring and for occupational disease recognition. Both positions are reported as those of the organisations concerned.

What the Concordat commits to: the announced measures

According to GOV.UK, every firefighter in the country will receive consistent, regular health checks that recognise the specific hazards of the job. That is the headline commitment and the one that most directly touches serving staff. The published announcement does not specify how often the checks will be, who will deliver them, or when they will begin, so those details are still to come.

The government will also direct funding through the National Institute for Health and Care Research to build the evidence base on firefighter health, including mental health, musculoskeletal conditions, cancer and cardiovascular disease. The research will pay particular attention to underrepresented groups, and the announcement specifically mentions women affected by ill-fitting protective equipment. No monetary amounts were published in the announcement.

There are practical NHS measures as well. Firefighter occupation will be recorded in NHS records so that clinicians can take it into account, awareness of relevant NHS services, such as mental health support, cancer screening and musculoskeletal care, will be improved, and information about access will be tailored to firefighters' working patterns. A working group under the Ministerial Advisory Group on Fire and Rescue Reform will coordinate improvements across government, fire and rescue services, employers and unions.

Why it was announced: the evidence gap

The announcement acknowledges that there is a lack of robust UK-based evidence on the long-term health effects of firefighting, according to trade press summarising the government's position. That is a central point. In 2021 the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council found insufficient evidence to prescribe any firefighter cancer other than mesothelioma, and it said it would remain open to reviewing new research. Better UK data, gathered through monitoring and research, is one route by which that position could eventually be revisited.

The concordat's emphasis on prevention connects to the wider debate about fire contaminants. In February 2026 the London Assembly Fire Committee's report recommended a UK-wide exposure and health monitoring programme, better PPE and an IIAC review, and the FBU called the situation a national scandal. Our guide to firefighter cancer, contaminants and compensation explains the recognition and compensation position in detail. The concordat does not answer the compensation question, but it starts the evidence-building that the debate has called for.

It also sits alongside existing wellbeing arrangements. Many services already offer occupational health, fitness support and mental health support, as our guides to firefighter mental health support and staying fit as a serving firefighter explain. The concordat aims to make provision more consistent, so that where you work matters less to what you receive.

What it could mean for serving firefighters

If the health checks are delivered as announced, serving firefighters could expect a more uniform baseline of monitoring. That could help detect problems earlier and would generate data that has not existed at national level in the UK. It might also affect how services handle occupational health referrals, fitness assessments and return-to-work processes, though we have not seen detail on any of these. If your service already runs health surveillance, ask what will change and when.

Practically, you can do three things now. Take up the health checks and screening your service and the NHS already offer. Keep your own record of health surveillance results. And ask your union representative or occupational health team how the concordat's working group will engage with your service. Progress is likely to be communicated through the NFCC, the FBU and your fire and rescue service, so watch for circulars.

It is also worth being realistic. A concordat can raise standards and change priorities, but it cannot by itself fund staff, change contracts or alter the law. Where it needs money or new legislation, the pace depends on departments and on the funding position of individual services, some of which are dealing with the budget pressures described in our guide to fire station closures.

What it does not change: pay, pension and compensation

The concordat announcement does not alter your pay, pension or compensation. Sick pay under the Grey Book, ill-health retirement under the Firefighters' Pension Scheme and the Firefighters' Compensation Scheme injury award continue on their current rules, as explained in our guides to sick pay, ill-health retirement and injured on duty entitlements. Nor does it change which conditions are prescribed diseases for Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit.

The occupational disease recognition that campaigners want is a separate process, run through the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council and the Department for Work and Pensions. We have not found a published IIAC decision to prescribe a firefighter cancer, or to re-review the evidence, as of 30 September 2026. If you are ill or injured, use the existing routes and take advice; do not wait for the concordat to produce changes. The ill-health calculator can illustrate the figures for the routes that exist today.

Different nations, different arrangements

The announcement was made by the UK government, and fire and rescue is largely devolved. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own fire and rescue services, health systems and ministers, and we have not verified how the Ministerial Advisory Group on Fire and Rescue Reform's work extends to them. The NHS records and NHS service elements of the announcement depend on health systems that differ between the four nations, and the published announcement does not detail how each will apply. If you work in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, check with your service, the FBU and your national government for how it applies.

Pension and compensation schemes are also nation-specific. England has the Firefighters' Pension Scheme 2015 and legacy schemes; Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own scheme regulations, with differences in details. See our guides to the Scottish firefighter pension scheme and Welsh firefighter pension scheme for background.

What we do not know yet

As of 30 September 2026, the following are not confirmed in anything we have verified: when health checks will start and what they will include; how much research funding will be spent and on which projects; how occupation will be recorded in NHS systems; who sits on the working group and when it will report; and whether or how the programme will feed into any IIAC review. We have deliberately not filled the gaps with assumptions.

Where you need certainty, go to the sources: the GOV.UK announcement, the NFCC's news pages, the FBU's circulars and your own service. If a service or article gives specific dates or numbers, look for where those come from. Announcements often generate summaries that get ahead of the facts, and the primary publication is the best check. We will update this guide with dated changes when they are published.

Looking after yourself in the meantime

Wellbeing does not need to wait for a programme. Use existing occupational health and employee assistance services, follow your service's contaminants and decontamination procedures, keep protective equipment clean and report defects or fit problems, and seek help early for physical or mental health concerns. Fit problems with kit are particularly relevant, because the announcement itself mentions women using ill-fitting protective equipment as a focus for research.

If you are a candidate or new joiner, fitness and health matter for selection and for a career, and our fitness guides and tools can help you prepare: see firefighter fitness test and the bleep test calculator. And whatever your stage of service, understanding your pay, pension and protections is part of wellbeing; the pay hub and pensions hub are good places to start.