GPs to prescribe help with fuel costs to keep people out of hospital this winter

Trials are taking place in areas of Gloucestershire, Tees Valley and Aberdeenshire where doctors are prescribing cash to help people with existing cold-sensitive health conditions to help pay for their energy and heating bills and keep warm this winter.

With over 10,000 people dying each year in England and Wales, as a result of living in cold homes, the trials piloted by Energy Systems Catapult and a select number of NHS regions are helping vulnerable people stay warm and well at home and out of hospital this winter.

Dr Rose Chard, Fair Futures programme lead at Energy Systems Catapult, said: “Living in cold homes puts millions with health conditions at risk of real harm. It costs the NHS over one billion pounds each year in England alone and causes 10,000 deaths every winter.

“It’s set to become an even bigger challenge this year as energy prices rise and household budgets fall.

“There has to be a better solution to help the most vulnerable. If we buy the energy people need but can’t afford, they can keep warm at home and stay out of hospital. That would target support to where it’s needed, save money overall and take pressure off the health service.”

'We can support some of our most vulnerable residents to stay warm'

Last winter, Energy Systems Catapult piloted a small study with NHS Gloucestershire and local energy advisor Severn Wye Energy Agency.

The study found the service was quick and easy to prescribe, and immediately impactful, meaning people didn’t have to choose between heating and eating. Patients who received the help said they felt warmer, healthier, less stressed about bills and less likely to visit GPs or hospital.

This winter, GPs are set to expand the trial of up to 150 more people across the county of Gloucestershire as well as extending the project across the Tees Valley in England and Aberdeenshire in Scotland where they will support 1,000 people.

Professor Sarah Scott, executive director, Adult Social Care, Communities and Wellbeing at Gloucestershire County Council, said: “With the increase in fuel costs and winter fast approaching, it’s important to look at the bigger picture and do what we can to ensure people with certain health conditions don’t have to experience the cold because they can’t afford to heat their home.

“By coming together, we can support some of our most vulnerable residents to stay warm and well this winter.”

'People with conditions such as COPD are at risk with living in cold housing

According to Publish Heath England, GP consultations for respiratory illness in older people in the UK increase by as much as 19 per cent for every degree the outdoor temperature drops below 5°C.

In Gloucestershire (the pilot area), hospitals are spending over two and a half million per month on respiratory conditions alone.

Dr Hein La Roux's surgery took part in the NHS Gloucestershire trial last year. He said: "It's actually saved a lot of money for other services and also saved our workload.

“People with conditions such as COPD, emphysema, or chronic bronchitis are at particular risk from complications associated with living in cold housing.

“The warm home prescription allows us to be more proactive in supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our county.

“We want to stop people from becoming unwell and help them to stay healthy at home in housing that is safe and warm.”