PHA reaffirms its commitment to tackling Fuel Poverty

As winter approaches, the Pubic Health Agency has re-emphasised its continuing commitment to tackling Fuel Poverty at the joint Public Health Agency/National Energy Action Annual Seminar, Friday 12th November, Greenmount Agricultural College, Co Antrim. The focus is Fuel Poverty - Improving Health & Wellbeing: identifying the hazards, sharing good practice and solutions and the role of health and social care services in tackling Fuel Poverty with vulnerable households. It will also consider the economic, social and environmental imperative of acting now.

The Public Health Agency has a lead role in improving health and wellbeing, tackling health inequalities and driving the implementation of the government’s ‘Investing for Health’ strategy, focusing on the wider determinants of health. Dr Eddie Rooney, Chief Executive, PHA, explained the importance of this work saying, “We know poverty has a significant, negative impact on health, so this year the Public Health Agency is investing £447,500 to combat Fuel Poverty. Working in partnership, this investment will not only help individual households but also attract additional funding, such as energy efficiency grants through the ‘NIE Sustainable Energy Fund’ and the ‘Warm Homes Scheme’, and £707,000 from the Department of Agriculture, to alleviate rural poverty and isolation. ‘Benefit Maximisation Schemes’, across Northern Ireland, have also significantly improved household incomes, as part of the Public Health Agency Fuel Poverty programmes, these schemes take referrals from health and social care, aim to reduce poverty within vulnerable groups and to promote health and wellbeing”.

Being in ‘Fuel Poverty’ is defined as a household having to spend 10% or more of their income to keep their home heated to an appropriate level. Improving the homes of those vulnerable to Fuel Poverty therefore plays an important role, as cold, damp housing can cause respiratory diseases, hypothermia and may contribute to additional winter deaths among older people, for example.

Fuel Poverty investment has provided assistance, including energy efficiency advice, insulation measures, ‘whole house solutions’, awareness raising activity, referrals to grant schemes, access to benefits and development and implementation of local action plans to tackle Fuel Poverty. A Regional Fuel Poverty and Health Network, has also been established, to develop a more strategic approach to Fuel Poverty and health across Northern Ireland.

Pat Austin, Director, NEA says, “Fuel Poverty has now reached crisis levels in Northern Ireland with devastating affects. This yearly seminar with PHA is an excellent opportunity to review the current evidence and fuel poverty outcomes on health and showcase the excellent programmes developing throughout the region. It also reinforces the need to strengthen and build on our work with frontline health professionals to help reach the vulnerable and tackle this serious issue”.

This is the second regional Public Health Agency/National Energy Action seminar. One of this year’s priorities was to engage with front line health and social care staff and to highlight their key role not only in the identification of vulnerable households, but also in signposting them to relevant support services and/or grants available.