兔子先生

Public Health Newsletter: June 2023

The conditions in which we are born, live, work and age are influential on health and wellbeing.

These factors are often known as the social determinants of health and many experts agree that they are more important than health care services in keeping us healthy.

This quarter we're talking healthy homes and fuel poverty.

Fuel poverty is being unable to afford to heat a home to the temperature needed to keep warm.

There are three important elements to fuel poor:

• Household income
• Household energy requirements - how energy efficient is that property
• Fuel prices

Cold homes can cause, or worsen, a range of health conditions such as heart attacks, strokes, bronchitis, and asthma.

Cold homes are also preventing children from thriving for example, without a warm quiet place to do homework a young person could fall behind at school or a lack of hot water might mean avoiding personal care, which could lead to bullying and social isolation.

The collective impact on the UK is significant too. 拢1.3 billion is spent each year on health services in England on treating illness caused by cold homes.

There is already support available, such as:

• The Green Doctor
• The ECO4 programme for eligible homes

In addition, there is a pilot underway in Simonside & Rekendyke and Biddick & All Saints wards. Social prescribers are working with residents who are at risk because of where they live, their age, underlying medical conditions and /or lifestyle. Improvements will be made to the house and /or the finances of that household and the impact of this will be measured.

Alongside the pilot, there is a training programme being put in place for a range of front-line practitioners and community organisations to raise awareness of fuel poverty and where to signpost residents for support.