Fuel poverty

West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership is investing £1 million to help keep people warm this winter, so they can live long, healthy lives.

In West Yorkshire, around 169,000 households cannot afford to keep their home at the temperature required to keep people inside warm and healthy. In response, NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board has created an affordable warmth page that collates resources available to offer support, whether that be providing details of  organisations offering expert advocacy or signposting to possible grant funding opportunities. Resources include information and guidance on how affordable warmth affects children, and are also accessible in easy-read format. The board has alao produced an infographic aimed at health professionals visiting people at home. The purpose is to support colleagues in identifying the signs of fuel poverty and support people to seek help.

Partners in North Devon are working together to tackle fuel poverty as part of the One Northern Devon (OND) Fuel Poverty Group to coordinate work on identifying and helping patients at most risk of fuel poverty.

Using a population health management approach, they analysed data to identify households at risk of fuel poverty, where patients living with health conditions that could be worsened by a cold, damp home. 500 patients were sent a letter advising them to contact the medical centre for referral. Staff then spoke to patients about the risks of fuel poverty and with permission, referred them to the social enterprise partner 361 Energy, which give free advice on energy tariffs, support switching where appropriate, and provide free energy-saving measures such as draught proofing, new boilers and access to grants for loft and cavity wall insulation.

OneSlough, a partnership comprising stakeholders and partners including Frimley ICS, Slough Borough Council and the VCSE sector, has created an information pack to help local communities fight the cost-of-living crisis and keep residents up to date with the latest advice and support available to them. This support includes ‘Green doctors’, expert energy advisers who help residents save money, stay warm, and improve energy efficiency in the home. They are now offering pre-booked home visits or phone consultations to help residents get personalised advice on saving money on their energy bills, access energy saving devices; and support accessing home improvement grants and schemes. The information pack also includes quick tips to save energy in the home.

Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICS recognise that their staff and local communities are facing an unprecedented combination of pressures and are committed to collective action at every level where the NHS can play a role to mitigate the health impacts of the rising cost of living. The system's approach is to ensure that NHS providers and local authority teams in the ICS make every contact count by enquiring about access to food and heating; and their place-based partnerships are supporting access to warm hubs and other support offers through partnerships with the VCSE sector.

Primary care networks in their area identify and support vulnerable households through proactive signposting, and work with the VCSE and local authority public health teams to provide support mechanisms where available; supported by the ICB and place-based partnerships.  Supporting residents in the current challenging times is a key priority for the system and it is regularly discussed at the system’s executive leadership group.