Patients prescribed heating to keep them out of hospital this winter

Doctors are prescribing cash to patients with cold-sensitive health conditions to help pay for their heating bills whilst also trying to relieve pressures on the NHS.

Energy Systems Catapult, an organisation devoted to accelerating the UK to net zero by supporting clean companies, has begun trials in Gloucestershire, Tees Valley and Aberdeenshire, to help keep vulnerable people warm and save the NHS money.

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 £1bn 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.’

Founded in 2015, Energy Systems Catapult launched a similar study last year with NHS Gloucestershire and partnered with local energy advisor Severn Wye Energy Agency.

Due to the studies success – researchers discovered the service was easy to prescribe and helped patients feel less stressed about their bills – this year, GPs are expanding the trial of up to 150 more people across Gloucester as well as extending the project through the Tees Valley in England and Aberdeenshire in Scotland.

Professor Sarah Scott, Executive Director for 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.’

According to Public Health England, GP consultations for respiratory illness in older people in the UK have increased by 19% for every degree the outdoor temperature drops below 5 and patients who suffer with conditions such as COPD, chronic bronchitis or emphysema are likely to suffer more if they are left to live in cold environments.

Photo by Egor Ivlev