Energy Crisis Project within Hospital Settings
Energy Crisis Project within Hospital Settings
The purpose of this project is to provide additional non-clinical support to patients whose health is at risk due to fuel poverty. This is most likely to include the elderly, disabled people (who may need to use more electricity in order to power disability aids), pregnant women and young children. The project targets patients who require assistance with home energy in order to enable them to return home after a hospital stay. This intervention will minimise health impacts associated with damp, cold housing.
The most recent Marmot Review ‘Fuel Poverty, Cold Homes and Health Inequalities’ highlights the dangerous consequences of living in a cold home to a child’s health and future life expectancy, and predicts increases in asthma and other respiratory illness (including childhood asthma and other lifelong conditions); circulatory problems; mental health problems and a worsening of other existing medical conditions such as diabetes, musculoskeletal and rheumatological conditions, dementia and Alzheimer’s. The Marmot Review characterises fuel poverty as a ‘significant humanitarian crisis with thousands of lives lost and millions of children’s development blighted’. We hope this project will help to save lives in Greater Glasgow and Clyde this winter as well as mitigate against adverse health consequences.
This project allows us to provide a dedicated crisis response capacity for all NHSGCC, taking referrals from all inpatient hospitals and mental health units. We provide additional capacity to NHSGGC in the form of face to face and/ or remote access appointments to enable timely responses to referrals across GGC Hospitals.
This new Service provides: Advocacy for reconnection of power supply, Access to emergency grants, Fuel debt management plans, Access & information to: Energy Bills Support Scheme, Child Winter Heating Assistance, Cold Weather Payment, Winter Fuel Payment. Access to eligible energy industry schemes such as Priority Services Register, Patients have gas or electricity arrears or paying off fuel debt through a pre-payment meter, Immediate assistance to get emergency arrears paid to cover weekend or 2 days following discharge from hospital, Receive a grant to pay off energy debts owed to gas and electricity supplier, For vulnerable patients, access to grants available for energy efficient white goods and cookers, bankruptcy fees, boiler repairs and replacements, Assistance to reduce household energy consumption and save money, Provide energy information and assistance such as how to read meters and monitor usage, Advice on energy billing and budgeting.
This Service is delivered via a hybrid model of remote assistance and hospital engagement and outreach, with the option for home visit service for patients with identified vulnerabilities.
If you wish to access our service, please contact a health professional from the following hospitals: Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Royal Alexandra Hospital, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Royal Hospital for Children, Victoria ACH, Stobhill, Vale of Leven,
Gartnavel Hospital, Inverclyde Royal Hospital (IRH) (Mental Health), Dykebar (Mental Health), Inverclyde Royal Hospital, Leverndale Hospital, Gartnavel Royal Hospital,
Stobhill Mental Health.
We have a weekly presence in the following where our advisers are available should you wish to come in and see us as a self-referral:
Monday Leverndale Hospital
Tuesday Royal Alexandra Hospital
Thursday Queen Elizabeth University Hospital
Friday Alternate Friday mornings between Gartnavel Royal Infirmary and Stobhill Mental Health Hospital