Local authorities have long had a duty to increase the energy efficiency of people’s homes, says James Sommerville, manager of Warm Homes Oldham – but tying that into health outcomes, rather than simply poverty and climate change, is a completely new way of thinking.
In its first three years, Warm Homes Oldham, which was initially set up with funding from Oldham council, Oldham clinical commissioning group and local housing providers, has helped more than 3,500 people out of fuel poverty; hospital visits and demand for mental health services have, in turn, been reduced.
Funded according to the payment by results method, the scheme aims to help more than 1,000 residents with health conditions out of fuel poverty each year. Interventions include installing insulation and more efficient boilers, giving assistance with tariff switching, accessing benefits, using heating systems better and clearing debt with energy companies.
Health problems targeted include those traditionally suffered by older people and associated with cold weather, such as strokes, and conditions affecting children, like asthma. An important third strand is mental health issues, linked to social isolation triggered by a reluctance to invite friends and family into a cold home.
In an independent evaluation of the scheme after the first year, 60% of respondents with a physical health problem said it had had a positive impact on their health, while 80% reported a positive impact on their general health and wellbeing. Almost all those who self-reported as being at “high risk” of mental illness moved to “low risk” and 84% of people helped were spending less on heating. And an analysis by Oldham clinical commissioning group of a sample of 800 residents in the scheme found that emergency hospital admissions had fallen by 32%.
With the cost of a mental health intervention put at £942, the potential for savings is huge, says Sommerville. “Improving mental health is one of the ‘hidden’ benefits of warm homes, especially for younger people who are in OK physical health,” he explains.
Potential clients – who get in touch after seeing the scheme advertised, or are referred by other agencies – are visited by a staff member, who works out the kinds of help they need, then gets the relevant partners involved.
“It’s much easier to help face-to-face, especially when they’re elderly or vulnerable – rather than trying to do it on the phone or on a website,” Sommerville says. He is proud that the scheme not only adopts a “whole house” approach – assessing all issues in a home, rather than just dealing with one problem and going away – but also a “whole person” approach.
Clients speak of being lifted out of depression and periods of feeling suicidal, caused by months or even years of having no heating. One woman told Sommerville having new insulation had transformed the life of her daughter, who suffers from the circulatory condition Raynaud’s disease.
“For someone heating [their home] when they haven’t before, it makes a huge difference to their life satisfaction,” Sommerville says. “Making people’s homes more energy efficient ticks so many boxes – it’s a no-brainer.”
