A ‘hidden army’ of care workers and even plumbers should be used to tackle deaths caused by cold homes, according to health leaders.
New guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) calls for creation of a single point of contact in each region to allow heating engineers and social care professionals to get quick help for those who need it.
There are around 24,000 excess winter deaths each year, with people becoming vulnerable to the health impacts of cold homes when outside temperatures drop to around 6°C.
NICE said there was a ‘huge untapped opportunity’ to help vulnerable people through tailored home insulation and heating support.
Professor Gillian Leng, deputy chief executive of NICE, said: ‘Deaths and illnesses linked to living in a cold home are preventable. NICE recommends that health and wellbeing boards should ensure that a single-point-of-contact health and housing referral service is commissioned to help vulnerable people who live in cold homes.
'Anyone who comes into contact with vulnerable groups should be able to refer people to the service, including health and social care staff, safety services staff and workers from charities and voluntary organisations.’
Dr David Sloan, co-chair of the NICE committee which developed the guidance, added that ‘health, social care and other professionals should always take a minute to consider the health risk of cold homes when in contact with patients and clients, and know what steps to take to get help to the people who need it. Action on cold homes can prevent early deaths’.
