皇冠体育app

Government, Age UK and Met Office launch plans to keep people warm and healthy in the cold weather

A new plan to keep people warm and healthy throughout the cold winter months was launched today by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley.

皇冠体育app cross government initiative comes today - the official start of winter - and reminds all local communities and the NHS how best to prepare to keep people healthy and warm in their homes this winter. 皇冠体育app schemes focus on helping the most vulnerable people by:

鈥⒙爉aking an extra 拢10 million available to support existing government schemes for those at risk of fuel poverty - for example grants for insulation or heating improvements provided through the Warm Front scheme;
鈥⒙燾reating a new 拢20 million fund - supported by Age UK - for local authorities and charities to address cold housing.聽 Bids will be invited for innovative new ways to help vulnerable older people, people with disabilities or families with young children - reaching those falling through the gaps of existing schemes.
鈥⒙爈aunching a Cold Weather Plan - which will be jointly run with the Met Office and Health Protection Agency聽 - to advise people how to stay healthy thus relieving the pressures on the NHS which winter always brings; and
鈥⒙爌roviding information on all aspects of keeping safe and well in winter via the

If the 拢10 million were used to support Warm Front it would be expected that聽 around 5000 low income households聽 would get improvement to heating and insulation worth up to 拢3,500 (拢6,000 where oil central heating and other alternative technologies are recommended).

皇冠体育app new 拢20 million scheme for energy efficiency insulation and heating improvement could help around 10,000 households.

Severe cold weather can be dangerous for vulnerable groups such as older people and those with serious illnesses. It鈥檚 important for people to look after their health as the winter months can mean:

鈥⒙燼n increase in heart attacks and stroke - accounting for 40 per cent of excess winter deaths;
鈥⒙爌ressure on GPs - GP visits for respiratory illnesses increase by up to 19 per cent for every 1掳C drop below 5掳C of the mean temperature;
鈥⒙爉ore pressure on the NHS - in 2009/10, the cost of emergency admissions due to falls on snow and ice was estimated at 拢42million; and
鈥⒙爄t is estimated that over 拢850 million is spent by the NHS each year as a result of the impact of cold housing on people鈥檚 health.

Met Office figures show that December 2010 was the coldest December in the UK since 1910 and the winter before was the coldest since 1978. While many associate cold weather with hypothermia, deaths directly caused by this represent only a small proportion.

Andrew Lansley said:

鈥淲e want everyone to get ready for winter and be prepared before temperatures drop.

鈥淏eing cold in your own home can be miserable and impacts on your health.聽 We cannot look at health in isolation. We must look at the bigger picture, which is why I am making 拢30 million available to help keep homes warm.

鈥淥lder people and those with long term illnesses are particularly vulnerable to the cold and we need to be aware - within families, in communities and across the NHS - of how we can help others when the winter temperatures drop.

鈥淓very year, there is a 20 per cent increase in deaths in the winter in England. By working together, this coordinated plan will help protect those most in need, we are determined to do all we can to achieve this.鈥�

Michelle Mitchell, Charity Director at Age UK says:

鈥淲e warmly welcome the fact that the Department of Health now recognises that cold weather and fuel poverty cause avoidable illness which leads to distress for older people affected as well as adding to the workload of all healthcare providers. Ministers have long acknowledged the fact that every winter brings thousands of avoidable deaths.

鈥溁使谔逵齛pp coalition government has set a new emphasis on public health as one of its key objectives, and this Cold Weather Plan is a very important step in the right direction. Age UK will be building on this with its own winter campaign to help vulnerable older people live well through the cold months of the year.鈥�

皇冠体育app Cold Weather Plan is supported by a Met Office cold weather alert service that will run from 1 November 2011 to 31 March 2012.

皇冠体育app Cold Weather alert service has four levels that depend on the severity of conditions. Together the plan and alerts aim to prepare, alert and prevent the effects of winter weather on people鈥檚 health by helping keep people well.

皇冠体育app four levels are:
鈥⒙燣evel 1 winter preparedness聽 - long term planning
鈥⒙燣evel 2 severe winter weather is forecast聽 - 60 per cent risk of extreme cold lasting more than 48 hours
鈥⒙燣evel 3 response to severe winter weather -聽 we are experiencing severe weather which is expected to have an impact on peoples health and health services
鈥⒙燣evel 4 major incident - exceptional widespread winter weather causing disruptions

皇冠体育app 鈥榖ig freeze鈥� at the end of last year would have been classified as level 3 .

Further details of the action needed at each level can be found on the .

Chief Medical Officer聽Professor聽Dame聽Sally Davies said:

鈥淜eeping warm in the winter is important to avoid serious or life-threatening illnesses.

鈥淗ealthcare staff and care home managers need to make sure that patients and residents are able to keep warm during cold weather spells.

鈥淜eeping our homes warm is important - but it鈥檚 not necessary to heat the whole house. We just need to keep the main rooms we occupy - such as the living room and bedroom - warm. Warm clothing and hot drinks should help prevent our most vulnerable people falling ill this winter.鈥�

John Hirst, Chief Executive of the Met Office, said:

鈥溁使谔逵齛pp Met Office is proud to be able to support the Department of Health, the Health Protection Agency and Age UK with their winter preparedness.

鈥溁使谔逵齛ppse alerts will put everyone in a better position to respond to forecasts of severe weather, inform those who are most at risk from winter weather and what they can do to keep well.鈥�

Professor Virginia Murray of the Health Protection Agency said:

鈥淢any of the deaths and injuries due to cold weather are preventable. People most at risk should make sure they have their flu jabs, and everyone should wear sufficient layers of clothing and shoes or boots with non-slip soles while outside. 皇冠体育appy should also have enough of their medication in the event of severe weather.聽

鈥淧eople should have their fossil fuel and wood burning appliances such as boilers, heaters and cookers, regularly checked by an appropriately registered engineer. Poorly maintained appliances may release carbon monoxide, a gas which can kill at high levels and cause health problems at lower levels.鈥�

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

1.聽For further information please contact the Department of Health press office on 020 7210 5221.

2.聽We are providing 拢10m to support existing DECC schemes including Warm Front.聽 皇冠体育app Warm Front scheme provides heating and insulation improvements to households on certain income-related benefits living in properties that are poorly insulated and/or do not have a working central heating system.聽 Qualifying households can get improvements worth up to 拢3,500 (拢6,000 where oil central heating and other alternative technologies are recommended).聽 Grants are available for improvements such as loft or hot water tank insulation, draught proofing, cavity wall insulation, and heating systems.

Warm Housing, Healthy People fund
3.聽We will be inviting local authorities and charities to submit bids for funding for schemes that will specifically fill the gaps in current provision.聽 Bids will be evaluated by a Steering Group chaired by a Regional Director of Public Health and with the involvement of Age UK and other expert partners.聽 We will be looking for bids that address the public health consequences of cold housing, are targeted at the most vulnerable, are an innovative use of funding that is not duplicating support available from other schemes, and which support the wider implementation of the Cold Weather Plan.聽 Schemes will need to be delivered before the end of March 2012.

4.聽Top tips for coping during cold weather:
鈥⒙燙heck you have had your flu jab if you are aged 65 or over, pregnant, have certain medical conditions, live in a residential or nursing home, or are the main carer for an older or disabled person
鈥⒙燙heck you have well-gripping shoes to prevent falls in cold weather; wear several layers of clothes to stay warm; and remain active in your home
鈥⒙燝ood hand hygiene can help prevent the spread of norovirus
鈥⒙燙heck you have had your heating and cooking appliances serviced - carbon monoxide is a killer
鈥⒙燙heck NHS choices for health guidance on winter ailments (flu, winter vomiting, cold temperatures)

皇冠体育app Government has joined up with partners in industry and the voluntary sector to encourage families and communities across the country to start making preparations for winter this week. 皇冠体育app 鈥淕etting Ready for Winter鈥� initiative provides information and advice available from a new section on the .