NEA has helped secure institutional awareness for the health impacts of living in a cold home and how these can be addressed through preventative health-related fuel poverty schemes. Despite very limited funding we have built cross-sector capacity across national and local government, the NHS, industry, and the voluntary and community sector on how cold-related ill health can be addressed. We also raised awareness of households who were unable to cope during the ‘Beast from the East’ cold snap. As well as extensive media coverage, this resulted in the Government allowing more boiler repairs and replacements, the Welsh Government introducing grants of up to £120 to enable vulnerable people to pay for emergency repairs to central heating boilers and NI Public Health Agency building on their work to reduce necessary hospital admissions via home energy checks. Our research reports have also been instrumental in establishing the first ever Cross-Departmental Health Working Group aiming to end cold-related ill health by better aligning policies relating to energy, housing and health.
Improving Health
