Tag: Cold Homes

Energy affordability and more insulation will support the NHS say medics

Over two thirds (68%) of UK health workers say high energy bills contribute to avoidable hospital admissions according to new research by campaign group Medact.

Forty-five per cent have sent patients home knowing that their housing situation would make them ill again.

Seven out of ten health workers (70%) regularly see patients forced to go without energy because they are unable to pay their bills and of these, nearly a third (30%) report witnessing this weekly.

Over two thirds (68%) of UK health workers say high energy bills contribute to avoidable hospital admissions. Forty-five per cent have sent patients home knowing that their housing situation would make them ill again.

Ofgem recently announced that the energy price cap for April to June will increase by 6.4%, bringing the average annual energy bill to £1,849. Compared to winter 2020/21, this represents a 77% increase, or over £800 more per year per household.

Cold homes contribute to respiratory conditions, cardiovascular diseases, mental health issues, dementia, and hypothermia—and significantly slow recovery from injury.

According to this new data, almost three quarters (72%) of health workers believe poor-quality housing worsens chronic health conditions or delays treatment of them, and two thirds (67%) see children experiencing respiratory problems caused or worsened by mould or damp regularly (at least once a month).

Over half believe that addressing energy affordability (67%) and improving energy efficiency (59%) would reduce the impact of housing problems on the NHS.

Over half (53%) of health workers also report their own mental or physical health has been impacted by housing issues. In addition, one in four believe that the health impacts of housing problems put plans to improve the NHS at risk.

Dr LJ Smith, a respiratory consultant working in London, said:

“Every single day I treat patients whose lung conditions are entirely preventable, but they tell me their homes are cold, mouldy and damp, and they just cannot afford to keep the heating on. As a healthcare worker I shouldn’t need a detailed knowledge of energy tariffs and benefits –I just want to get back to the job I was trained to do, working with my patients to help them thrive despite their lung condition. This is a public health crisis that is entirely preventable, with solutions that lie outside the NHS.”

Dr Sabrina Monteregge, clinical psychologist working in London said:

“We can fund the NHS but if that’s not alongside funding healthy homes, we’re not going to get very far, because we are just constantly treating problems that the NHS is not built for. The NHS is on its knees, but it was never meant to stand alone – it must work alongside policies that support public health.”

A spokesperson for the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, commented:

“These shocking findings depict the front-line, public health crisis caused by high energy costs and poorly insulated homes.

“Expert reports have long made the link between living in cold damp homes and medical problems, but this research brings home the real-life situations that people are facing.

“We need bolder action from the government to address this crisis – that means all government departments working together to see fuel poverty as a national challenge. And it means the Chancellor backing moves to tackle the problem, such as committing the full £13.2bn funding needed for the Warm Homes Plan.”

ENDS

Opinion poll was conducted by Survation. 2,128 healthcare workers were surveyed, aged 18+ in the UK, between 28th January and 3rd February 2025. Of these, 1,773 were in patient-facing roles.  These findings will be a part of a report to be released by Medact in March. Medact is a public health campaigning organisation whose members are made up of health workers from across the UK.

Over 1,000 dead in December 2022 due to cold homes

Over 1,000 people died in England as a result of living in cold damp homes in December 2022. [1]

Based on new analysis by the End Fuel Poverty Coalition of official data for December 2022, the levels of excess winter deaths caused by cold homes exceeded those of December 2021 and were similar in level to the Covid-pandemic-affected data of December 2020.

ITV News have reported the figures showing that for one week in December 2022 excess deaths exceeded the levels seen in December 2020.

In total there were 1,047 excess winter deaths caused by living in cold damp homes in England in December 2022, this is up from 768 in December 2021. In December 2020 there were 1,518.

Over the course of the whole of winter 2021/22 there were 2,731 excess winter deaths in England caused by living in cold damp homes. [2]

Figures calculated by the Coalition using official government data (including that from devolved statistical bodies), puts the total excess winter deaths in the UK for winter 2021/22 at 15,069. [3]

3,240 of these were as a result of living in cold conditions.

Over the last ten years, the average number of deaths each winter in the UK caused by cold damp homes now stands at 7,409.

The figures come as members of the National Pensioners’ Convention (NPC) and Fuel Poverty Action, backed by the Warm This Winter campaign, held a minute’s silence and funeral march in memory of those who have died.

The demonstration follows on from a day of action on fuel poverty co-ordinated by the Warm This Winter campaign which saw events take place up and down the country in December 2022. Further “Warm Up” protests are being organised for Saturday 21st January by Fuel Poverty Action.

And amid the fears about the health risks of forced switching to prepayment meters, more than 91,000 people have signed a petition, launched by campaign group 38 Degrees, calling on energy suppliers to end the practice.

On Wednesday, more than 1,700 people also sent personal messages via 38 Degrees to the CEOs of their energy company, urging them to end forced transfer for good.

A spokesperson for the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, which is also part of the Warm This Winter campaign, commented:

The energy bills crisis has its roots in Westminster and the Government’s failure over decades to help us insulate our homes and secure a renewable-led energy grid.

The cost of this failure is now being felt by the elderly, disabled, those with health conditions and young families. Even in mild winters, we see huge levels of excess winter deaths caused by living in cold damp homes which put our country to shame.

We need urgent additional financial support for the most vulnerable this winter and next and a significant ramping up of insulation and energy efficiency schemes.

NPC General Secretary Jan Shortt said:

It is shameful that anyone should die from cold related illness in this country. But we fear that the rocketing cost of living, rampant energy prices, and the disastrous crisis in the NHS and social care will see tens of thousands more die in this way.

It’s time the government took action to end this horrific annual cull of our oldest and most vulnerable.

Ruth London from Fuel Poverty Action added:

A large part of the crisis has been caused by energy firms forcing people onto prepayment meters. Many people rely on energy to power stair lifts, wheelchairs, hearing and respiratory aids as well as the heat, light, refrigeration and connectivity that we all depend on. If a pre-payment meter then runs out of credit and this equipment can’t be used, it turns energy debt into a death sentence for many.

Matt Richards, Campaign Manager at 38 Degrees, said:

The life-threatening risks of a home without power are made starkly clear by these horrifying figures. Yet by forcing people on to pre-payment, energy companies continue to put their customers at risk of being left in the cold and dark when the meter runs out. The Government and energy companies must act together to protect the most vulnerable, so this winter’s tragedies are not repeated next year.

Mike Childs, head of policy at Friends of the Earth, said:

Cold, damp and poorly insulated homes are known to have a terrible impact on health, leading in the worst cases to too many early and avoidable deaths here in the UK.

But they’re also an environmental disaster, because they require more energy to stay warm, which means more emissions unleashed into our atmosphere.

We’re already seeing the devastating consequences of burning fossil fuels – including gas for our heating – through extreme weather events all over the globe. And too often it’s the communities that have contributed least to climate change that are the worst impacted. By insulating homes and switching to greener heating, we can save not only lives here in the UK, but overseas too.

ENDS

Image: National Pensioners’ Convention

[1] For methodology, data and sources, please visit: https://www.endfuelpoverty.org.uk/about-fuel-poverty/excess-winter-deaths-and-fuel-poverty/

[2] Winter is defined as December, January and February. Based on table 3, column EB in latest ONS data https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/excesswintermortalityinenglandandwalesreferencetables and applying UCL / Institute of Health Equity 21.5% Excess Winter Deaths attributable to cold homes.

[3] See full details at: https://www.endfuelpoverty.org.uk/about-fuel-poverty/excess-winter-deaths-and-fuel-poverty/