A charity has called for heating to be prescribed for people with severe lung conditions who struggle to afford their energy bills during the winter months. Joseph Carter, director of Asthma and Lung UK Cymru, has said that heating should be treated as a medical necessity for those who need it for their condition. The Welsh government has stated that it currently funds energy efficiency schemes for people with certain health conditions, including respiratory diseases such as asthma.
One individual in Newport, Louise, has to take medication every day for her asthma, and her condition is exacerbated by cold weather. She is forced to ration her heating this winter due to the pressures of rising costs of living and unpaid energy bills. Louise and her husband work full-time, but they have fallen behind on their energy bill payments. Last winter, the UK and Welsh governments offered help to people with energy bills, however, much of that additional support has now ended, leading to further financial difficulties for some households.
Mr Carter has requested targeted support for people who require assistance and has suggested that health workers could prescribe heating alongside medication. Parts of England and Scotland have already trialed “warm home prescriptions”, which enable NHS practitioners to identify medically vulnerable individuals on low incomes and pay for their heating bills. The scheme has been reported as decreasing the likelihood of respiratory viruses, damp, and mold inside homes.
Dr. Rose Chard, the Fair Future leader at Energy Systems Catapult, an agency promoting energy innovations to reduce carbon emissions, has suggested the pilot scheme could help ease winter strain on the National Health Service as it helps keep people healthy through the colder months. An assessment from Sheffield Hallam University found that the scheme provided £5 of social value in terms of wellbeing for every £1 spent. Dr. Chard calls for local authorities, public health teams, and health boards in Wales to support the pilot scheme
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