To progress this work we need to understand the different elements which beneficially affect vulnerable individuals and families.
We want to delve deeper into the data which is now becoming available to us, try to establish some connective tissue between ward level activities and the perceived health needs of areas of the city. The aim of the work will be to highlight areas of the city which may need increased targeted work.
There are three main ways that we can help to ensure that fuel poor households, with specific health needs, that are eligible for assistance, receive help:
Increasing Awareness
During the summer of 2008 it is envisaged that much work is needed to increase referrals into programmes and grants for improving warmth in the home via energy efficiency improvements. While it is not expected that health professionals should become experts on fuel poverty they are in a key position to act as a means to signpost potentially vulnerable individuals. There are plenty of opportunities to tie in local and national schemes, which will undertake the necessary work to identify how best to assist the person as well as assess the level of urgency required, acting as an early warning mechanism to improve the quality of vulnerable people's lives.
Barriers and risks
Newcastle Warm Zone (NWZ) has a robust business plan and proven risk management capabilities although there are still challenging barriers and risks. The main barriers to delivering the targets over the next 3 years include: accessing sufficient homes to assess/survey and install measures; securing adequate revenue funding to meet staff and measures costs and securing the appropriate level of management and on the ground support from partners, including the PCT.
It is not compulsory to have loft insulation and cavity wall insulation, not everyone responds to flyers, adverts, mail shots etc.
The main risk identified is that we will be unable to demonstrate we have made a difference. The on going credit crunch will provide an increasingly challenging environment which will in all probability increase the numbers of 'at risk' or vulnerable individuals/families.
The recent winter period has seen dramatic increases in gas and electricity costs for every household and almost certainly has increased the number of vulnerable households who are at risk of fuel poverty.
1. Delve deeper into the data, try to establish some connective tissue between ward level activities and the perceived health needs of areas of the city
2. Support to fuel poor households with specific health needs:
3. Advice - Tie in advice on fuel poverty assistance with existing information provision, e.g. promotion of the NHS Keep Warm, Keep Well booklets, additional information included in flu jab mailings
4. Awareness - Ensure that front line staff are up to date with problems facing householders and the help available to them, through training, which can be cascaded down to them in team meetings. This helps them identify the simplest way of ensuring a referral to the agencies that can help
5. Referral pathways - Identify additional processes and opportunities which can be used to reduce health inequalities amongst vulnerable households e.g. using CAF (Common Assessment Framework) to pass details of vulnerable patients and families to agencies, who can identify what help may be available to them