Expert warns winter fuel payment cuts to pensioners could 'lead to unnecessary deaths'
Research indicates that the NHS will bear greater costs due to cuts in winter fuel payments, outweighing any savings made. This analysis follows warnings from medical professionals that Labour's decision to reduce the winter fuel allowance for pensioners could result in fatalities among those with chronic illnesses such as heart disease, cancer or severe lung conditions.
The annual winter fuel payment of £200-£300, established in 1997, was designed to assist older individuals with heating expenses. However, last week, the Labour government voted to eliminate this subsidy for all but the poorest pensioners, reducing the recipients from over 11 million to approximately 1.5 million.
The treasury estimates a saving of around £1.5bn per year from this move. Yet, Age UK data suggests that the potential saving will be counterbalanced by the additional cost to the NHS for treating elderly people with cold-related conditions - estimated at £1.4 billion annually.
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Experts also caution that the removal of this payment could lead to unnecessary deaths. According to the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, last year alone saw 4,950 deaths linked to cold homes.
Professor Carl Heneghan, Director of Oxford University's Centre for Evidence Based Medicine emphasised the importance of a warm home during the colder months, particularly for those with chronic conditions. He stressed, "Being able to turn the heat up in your home in winter is essential for people with chronic conditions to ensure they don't become unwell and need hospital admission, and in the most severe cases die due to cold this winter. The cost of cold homes is £1.4 billion a year - about the same as the estimated savings of cutting the winter fuel payments. It is unacceptable people with chronic conditions that require them to stay warm to protect them from harm should have fuel payments cut.", reports the Express.
An urgent new analysis presented by Age UK for the Sunday Express uncovers that close to a million pensioners (980,000 ten percent) in England are experiencing harsh living conditions, residing in homes that are insufficiently heated during the winter, or grappling with serious issues like rising damp or excessive condensation.
The situation appears even more distressing as over half these affected pensioners, around 550,000 or 56 percent, are suffering from a disability. This statistic is notably higher compared to the 39 percent of pensioners whose homes are free from these problems.
Caroline Abrahams CBE, Charity Director at Age UK, held a critical viewpoint on the governmental stance, articulating: "There's been a lot of discussion about the Government's decision, but at heart Age UK's critique of their policy is really simple: we just don't think it's fair to remove the payment from the 2.5 million pensioners on low incomes who badly need it, and to do it so quickly this winter, at the same time as energy bills are rising by 10 percent."
In anticipation of a tough winter, Independent Age Chief Executive Joanna Elson commented: "Winter is coming and we fear it will be a deeply challenging one for millions of older people who have previously relied on their Winter Fuel Payment to help pay their energy bills and who have no obvious alternative source of funds on which to draw. As a charity we will do everything we can to help them, but with so many in need and no extra support on offer from the Government at the moment it's looking like an incredibly uphill task."
Elson further remarked, "We hope the UK Government listens to the evidence being shared, and doesn't means-test the Winter Fuel Payment now. Long-term there must be financial security for all of us as we age. We urge the UK Government to lead a review where all major parties come together and agree on what an adequate income in older age is, then ensure that everybody receives it so that no one lives in poverty in later life."