UK

Seven in ten healthcare workers see patients unable to pay energy bills

MARCH 5,2025

Health workers say that addressing energy affordability and insulation will help the NHS.

Newly published research reveals the impact of cold homes and high energy bills on people’s health and the NHS.

Seven out of ten health workers report that they regularly see patients going without energy because they are unable to pay. Of these, nearly a third report witnessing this weekly, while one in ten see patients in this position almost every day.

Over two-thirds see patients hospitalised due to cold homes in a “public health crisis that is entirely preventable, with solutions that lie outside the NHS.” Over half believe that addressing energy affordability and improving energy efficiency would reduce impacts on the NHS.

This nationally representative survey, commissioned by UK health campaign group Medact and Warm This Winter, polled 2,128 people who work in health.

Over two-thirds of UK health workers say high energy bills contribute to avoidable hospital admissions. Forty-five per cent have sent patients home knowing that their housing situation would make them ill again.

Ofgem recently announced that the energy price cap for April to June will increase by 6.4%, bringing the average annual energy bill to £1,849. Compared to winter 2020/21, this represents a 77% increase, or over £800 more per year per household. Cold homes contribute to respiratory conditions, cardiovascular diseases, mental health issues, dementia, and hypothermia—and significantly slow recovery from injury.

The National Pensioners Convention roundly condemned the increase in the price cap and called on the government regulator to do its job and stand up for consumers – particularly at a time when energy firms are raking in billions in profits.

Jan Shortt, General Secretary of the NPC said: “Ofgem and the government are clearly not listening to the millions, including our oldest and most vulnerable, who simply cannot afford these continual hikes in the price of basic essentials like energy. There is no way that the triple lock rise on state pensions this April will replace the loss of the winter fuel payment and cover the cumulative increases in bills for everything from energy to food. This round robin of increases will see many more older and vulnerable people switching off their energy to save money.”

The new data finds that almost three-quarters of health workers believe poor-quality housing worsens chronic health conditions or delays treatment of them, and two-thirds see children experiencing respiratory problems caused or worsened by mould or damp regularly (at least once a month).

More than two-thirds (69%) of health workers agreed with the statement “I feel powerless to support my patients with their housing conditions”, and believe that government spending to prevent illnesses created by cold homes is better for the NHS than having to spend money to nurse patients back to health.

Over half of health workers also report their own mental or physical health has been impacted by housing issues. In addition, one in four believe that the health impacts of housing problems put plans to improve the NHS at risk. 

Dr LJ Smith, a respiratory consultant working in London, said: “Every single day I treat patients whose lung conditions are entirely preventable, but they tell me their homes are cold, mouldy and damp, and they just cannot afford to keep the heating on. This is a public health crisis that is entirely preventable, with solutions that lie outside the NHS.”

 Dr Amaran, a paediatric doctor working in Sheffield, said: “Home is where health is nurtured and hospitals are for repairs. The idea of ‘an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure’ has been abandoned over the course of decades of housing policies that have enriched a select few at the cost of the health of millions. I and other children’s health workers are increasingly concerned by having to send children home with inhalers and medicines, knowing full well that for the many living in unsafe and unhealthy homes, it will be a matter of days and weeks before they’re sick again, with serious implications for their life chances.”

Dr Sabrina Monteregge, clinical psychologist working in London said: “We can fund the NHS but if that’s not alongside funding healthy homes, we’re not going to get very far, because we are just constantly treating problems that the NHS is not built for. The NHS is on its knees, but it was never meant to stand alone – it must work alongside policies that support public health.”

 Simon Francis, coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, commented: “These shocking findings depict the front-line, public health crisis caused by high energy costs and poorly insulated homes. Expert reports have long made the link between living in cold damp homes and medical problems, but this research brings home the real-life situations that people are facing.

“We need bolder action from the government to address this crisis – that means all government departments working together to see fuel poverty as a national challenge. And it means the Chancellor backing moves to tackle the problem, such as committing the full £13.2bn funding needed for the Warm Homes Plan.”

Warm This Winter spokesperson Caroline Simpson said: “It’s a disgrace that people across the country are forced to live in such unhealthy homes and are unable to afford to keep them warm and dry thanks to over a decade of neglect by the last government – especially when we see energy companies raking billions in profits whilst ordinary people are choosing between eating and heating. That’s why we need to ramp up our renewable energy and insulation programmes.

It’s estimated that  tackling cold homes would save the NHS £540m per year. More than 26,000 babies and toddlers were admitted to hospital last year with lung conditions probably linked to exposure to damp and mould. The pressures in accident-and-emergency units are as bad as during the Covid pandemic.

Almost 70,000 members of the public have also signed a 38 Degrees petition – in collaboration with NPC, Warm This Winter and Fuel Poverty Action. It calls for the government to:

• Make Ofgem a true consumer champion, holding suppliers to account for bad practice, ending the ‘revolving door’ of energy bosses making decisions, and not making consumers foot the bill for firms going bust. 
• Reduce bills to fair and affordable levels that meet people’s needs, removing protections that guarantee profits and bonuses for energy companies. 
• Make sure everyone automatically gets the best energy deal and customer service they need – and protects vulnerable people from profit-hungry suppliers.

Image: https://pix4free.org/photo/2475/energy.html Credit: Pix4Free.org Energy by Nick Youngson CC BY-SA 3.0 Pix4free Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported CC BY-SA 3.0 Deed