The UK faces a “humanitarian crisis” with an “unprecedented” risk of more deaths from cold homes this winter, an NHS leader warned today.
Matthew Taylor said people “could face the awful choice between skipping meals to heat their homes and having to live in cold, damp and very unpleasant conditions” if more help is not offered on energy bills.
The chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents NHS leaders, said the health service is already under strain and it is only August.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Research suggests that a failure of people to heat their homes, cold, can contribute about 10,000 additional deaths in a year. Now that's kind of a normal year. And we know that the pressures are going to be much greater on people.
“And unless we do something to help people with energy costs, there'll be an unprecedented number of people who won't be able to heat their homes.
“So this is going to have a major effect in terms of people being sicker but also in terms of driving demand in the health service.”
Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss have both pledged some help with the cost of living crisis.
But Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis has warned Ms Truss’s plans so far will not touch the sides as bills soar beyond £3,600 in October and £4,200 in January.
Ms Truss has said she’d cut £159 a year in green levies and cut National Insurance, but that is worth less than £1 a week for a minimum wage worker.
She has not ruled out “handouts” but has rebuffed Labour ’s plan to freeze the price cap at its current £1,971.
Labour today demanded Parliament is recalled to start putting plans in place ahead of the October 1 price cap being announced next Friday.
But the Government has made it clear it will not do anything substantial until a new prime minister is in office on September 5.
Sending a letter to ministers, Mr Taylor is quoted as saying: “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."
On Thursday, the trade body for energy companies called for more support on top of the £400 promised to households from October.
"Time is running very short ahead of October and we know many customers are already struggling after the last price rise - so the predicted increases will simply be unaffordable for millions of households," said Dhara Vyas, Energy UK's director of advocacy.
"Given the urgency, our industry believes the most practical way to help customers ahead of Christmas will be to increase the amount of support made through the existing bills support scheme."
Mr Taylor, a former Labour advisor who led a review of employment practices for a Tory government, said: “It is absolutely clear that if more people are suffering from fuel poverty, more people are unable to heat their homes, that will drive additional demand.”
“So it's our responsibility. It's our duty to flag the fact that it looks 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.”
He added: “I'm not speaking for myself - I’m speaking for over 100 leaders in the NHS.”
