Hospitals will be facing a “humanitarian crisis” this winter unless the Tory government takes action over the rising cost of heating homes, health chiefs have warned. NHS leaders said there is an “unprecedented” risk of death from cold homes this winter unless ministers intervene on energy costs.
Matthew Taylor, the chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said research by the organisation has shown up to 10,000 people die from under-heated homes in an average year. The situation, the confederation said, will be far worse this winter with households facing bills of over £4,000 by January amid warnings that four million Scots will face fuel poverty.
Matthew Taylor said: “The country is facing a humanitarian crisis. Many people could face the awful choice between skipping meals to heat their homes and having to live in cold, damp and very unpleasant conditions. This in turn could lead to outbreaks of illness and sickness around the country and widen health inequalities, worsen children’s life chances, and leave an indelible scar on local communities.”
Health leaders said they are concerned that widespread fuel poverty will increase the high number of annual deaths associated with cold homes and add pressure to an already overwhelmed health service. Taylor said outbreaks of illness will strike “just as the NHS is likely to experience the most difficult winter on record”.
He added: “It’s our duty to flag the fact that it looked as though we could be heading for additional demand on a system which is already, even in the middle of August, finding it very difficult to meet demand, and facing an extremely difficult winter.”
Challenged on whether the NHS letter to ministers is “overtly political”, Taylor said: “It’s not our job to tell the Government what to do. It’s our responsibility to be clear about what is likely to be happening in terms of health needs and the capacity of the NHS to cope.”
He added that the NHS Confederation is speaking on behalf of hundreds of health leaders across the UK.
Taylor said: “We’re making this call because leaders have asked us to make this because they can see the growing problems in their community and amongst lower paid staff, and they are concerned about the fact that they’ll be facing additional demands, more people who felt sick during winter, and it’s our responsibility to speak about that.”
To sign up to the Daily Record Politics newsletter, click here.
