The major increase in the energy price cap could risk ‘deaths’ amid yet more financial pressure in what is already a cost of living crisis, warns one Greater Manchester health boss. The fears come as financial campaigner Martin Lewis has highlighted that families with medical needs will be disproportionately impacted by the soaring energy prices.
The founder of Money Saving Expert gave a damning verdict on last week's confirmation by Ofgem that the average household energy bill will increase to £3,549, resulting in an 80 per cent rise in bill costs from October 31. “This is a catastrophe,” he said. “If we do not get further government intervention, on top of what was announced in May, then lives will be lost this winter.”
He predicted that the mental health damage to people across the country will, too, be ‘catastrophic’. Those who use more energy, including those with disabilities who might need to run electrical equipment, could face bills of £10,000, he warned.
The new energy price cap will remain in place until December 31, where it will be expected to rise once again.
The chancellor, Nadhim Zahawi, said he acknowledged that the energy price cap rise “will cause stress and anxiety for many people” and he insisted government “help is coming”. But Labour opposition Rachel Reeves has said that the government must freeze gas and electricity prices through the winter, as well as extending the windfall tax on oil and gas companies to lower bills.
‘People’s anxieties about the price cap rise are already landing in my inbox today’, says Liberal Democrat councillor for Bredbury Green and Romiley. “People who get carer’s allowance of £3,600 per year now face a price cap of £3,500. That’s just overwhelming for some people.
“They’re asking where they can go for help and for carers who are already stretched, many feel there aren’t that many places to turn.”
The energy price hike will have a greater impact on people with disabilities, for example, who need extra washing capacity, need to keep warm or cool, or have particular equipment to run, says the councillor.
“We’ll see more people making decisions between caring for loved ones and paying bills. And as for the impact on mental health and wellbeing - as a country, I don’t think we’ve got our heads round the scale of that problem yet.
“Having additional worries if you’re already not sure what to do and you turn on the news and see that things are getting harder, it’s going to push people beyond where they feel they can be.”
Manchester’s Director of Public Health, David Regan, says council workers will be planning for the coming months as each winter brings ‘excess deaths’ as a result of issues like cold homes, expecting this year to be worse. “We know that with excess winter deaths, cold homes and people having to pay for fuel over food are all risks,” he told the Manchester Evening News .
“One very practical thing we’ve picked up anecdotally is that people from low incomes are concerned about tobacco prices so we’re making sure we’ve got tight controls on that.
“It’s not quite as easy to say give up smoking when people are stressed out to the absolute maximum because of a cost of living crisis. We have to look at the really supportive things we can do, no playing the blame game.
“What we don’t need is this cost of living to exacerbate health inequalities that already exist.”
Mental health charities, including national help group Mind, are sounding urgent alarm bells that the cost to people’s well-being will be severe should the price cap rise in the coming months.
Paul Farmer, Chief Executive of Mind and member of the Mental Health Leaders Group said: “In the last few months, we’ve become increasingly concerned at the absence of mental health in debates and plans about the cost-of-living crisis. Our mental health system has already been pushed to its absolute limits by the coronavirus pandemic and years of chronic underfunding. But this cost-of-living-crisis, which we know is having a huge impact on people’s mental health, has the potential to force services to the brink of collapse.
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"People with mental health problems would appreciate if Boris Johnson and the next Prime Minister were to listen when we tell you that we need to see action, and we need it now.
"We need the UK government to recommit to implementing a cross-Government mental health plan with proper funding for mental health services behind it. And we need those on the lowest incomes – who are at most risk of bearing the brunt of the cost-of-living-crisis – to be adequately supported through the social security system.”
On Thursday, August 25, Mind joined a host of other groups, including Samaritans and the Royal College of Psychiatrists, in an open letter to the government to highlight the pressures that are already being seen as a result of financial worries. And those pressures are being piled on an NHS system which is, itself, already in crisis as pandemic delays have led to higher demand and longer waiting lists.
“We are already beginning to see the impact,” reads the letter. “In July alone Samaritans received 12,000 emotional support contacts mentioning finance or unemployment concerns and Mind’s Infoline has seen a 30 per cent rise compared to last year in calls related to finances. YoungMinds also tracks young people's experiences of mental health and, for the first time, 'worries about money' was found to be the top concern and negative influence on their mental health.
“We know from previous experience that a squeeze on living standards, unmanageable debt and economic recessions cause a rise in mental health problems, demand for services and, sadly, are connected to a rise in suicides. We have the opportunity to learn from the past and address how to support people’s wellbeing to avoid repeating history.
“The nation’s mental health services were already stretched, and the pandemic has pushed them to breaking point. With over 1.5 million people currently on a waiting list, the cost of living crisis could put our entire mental health system on the brink of collapse, leaving people that are already struggling without the support they need.”
A government spokesperson said: “We know that rising prices are affecting how far people’s incomes go, which is why we have taken action to help households with £37 billion of targeted support to help people, including direct payments of at least £1,200 for eight million of the most vulnerable households.
“Improving mental health is a key part of our commitment to level up unequal outcomes and life chances across the country, and following our call for evidence earlier this year, we are working to better understand what we can do in the longer term to support mental health and wellbeing.
“We are also expanding and transforming mental health services which will see over £2.3 billion of additional funding a year by 2024 – helping an extra two million people across England to get help.”
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