NHS warns surging energy bills could cause 'humanitarian crisis' this winter

19 August 2022, 10:59 | Updated: 19 August 2022, 11:55

NHS bosses have warned surging energy bills could cause a "humanitarian crisis" this winter.

The NHS Confederation sent a letter to ministers on Friday, warning that surging costs mean people will have to choose between skipping meals to heat their homes or living in cold and damp conditions this winter.

Health leaders said they are concerned that widespread fuel poverty will increase the high number of annual deaths associated with cold homes - estimated at 10,000 - and add pressure to an already overwhelmed health service.

Typical annual fuel bills look set to double to more than £4,000 by January.

NHS Confederation chief executive 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 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."

Mr Taylor said these outbreaks of illness will strike "just as the NHS is likely to experience the most difficult winter on record".

"NHS leaders have made this unprecedented intervention as they know that fuel poverty will inevitably lead to significant extra demand on what are already very fragile services," he added.

"Health leaders are clear that, unless urgent action is taken by the Government, this will cause a public health emergency."

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It comes as energy regulator Ofgem is set to raise the cap on energy prices from October, leading household bills to soar. The Government has faced calls to freeze bills or provide more support to households, but ministers have said no action will be taken until a new prime minister is in place on September 5.

The NHS Confederation's letter, addressed to Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi and Health Secretary Steve Barclay, warned that health bosses in the UK are "already seeing huge suffering in our local communities because of the cost-of-living crisis".

It said local leaders are already taking measures to help struggling staff, including setting up food banks, providing salary advances and supplying free school uniform for their children.

The letter also said they believe the Government's proposed policy of £400 paid in monthly instalments will not be sufficient and called on ministers to safeguard households who cannot absorb energy prices rising by up to 82%.

Local leaders also spoke out about the situation on Friday.

Beatrice Fraenkel, chairwoman of Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Whilst we as employers are doing all we can to mitigate against the situation, this crisis is proving a real challenge for our staff, personally and professionally."

Jeremy Vanes, chairman of Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: "The population my organisation provides mental health services for is amongst the least wealthy in the UK, with over 45% of people living within the lowest income bands.

"We anticipate some will even struggle to keep their homes in the year ahead, such is the affordability crisis.

"Unquestionably this situation will have wide health effects, and further support should be well targeted."

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A Government spokesman said: "We know that rising prices are affecting how far people's incomes go, which is why we have taken action to help households with £37 billion worth of support, which includes targeted support to help people through the difficult winter ahead.

"Eight million of the most vulnerable households will see £1,200 extra support, provided in instalments across the year, and everyone will receive £400 over the winter to help with energy bills.

"That's on top of action earlier this year, including a record fuel duty cut and a National Insurance cut worth up to £330 a year for the typical employee.

"We are also working closely with the NHS at pace to ensure we are ready for the pressures ahead by increasing capacity, boosting NHS 111 and 999 support, tackling delayed discharge and using new innovations such as virtual wards."

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Man tells LBC father endured a 27-hour wheelchair-bound wait in A&E

It comes after a hospital trust was forced to apologise to a 76-year-old man after he spent 27 hours in a wheelchair in A&E before being discharged because they did not have a bed for him.

Melvin Terry from Kent, a retired design office manager and grandfather of six, suffers from a heart condition. On 7th August, he went to A&E at his local Medway Hospital with chest pains and shortness of breath - both possible signs of a heart attack.

But despite being told he needed to be admitted to the cardiac ward and put on a five-day stretch of treatment, Melvin waited for 27 hours before being sent home, as they didn't have a bed for him.

It's part of a wider crisis in the NHS affecting emergency wait times.

July saw record breaking demands on ambulances in England, with reports of crews waiting up to 20 hours at A&E to off-load patients, and more than 1,000 patients a day forced to wait more than 12 hours at A&E.

Data from the Independent suggests increased wait times could be driving as many as 1,000 patient deaths every month.

Rory Deighton, Acute Lead at the NHS Confederation, said the crisis is caused by a mix of years of underinvestment and a current staffing crisis: "It's really difficult for us to go out and recruit another 105,000 NHS staff, they just don’t exist.

"But the collapse we're seeing in the social care workforce, as the cost of living goes up, that's the thing that is really killing the NHS at the moment.

"People are choosing not to work in social care anymore, but to go to the hospitality and retail sectors, so we are failing to support people to live independently in their own homes, and emergency departments are the places where we pick up the pieces for all that.”