Category

• Emerging Local Practice

---

Poverty impact

• Mitigation

---

Poverty driver

• Provide benefit in-kind (material)
• Non-driver - improving quality of life

---

Keywords

• NHS
• Fuel Poverty
• Patient Discharge
• Acute secondary Care
• Crisis Support

Aim

To mitigate barriers to patient discharge and increase patient flow from acute secondary care settings to community care.

To mitigate the immediate, and long-term impact of fuel/energy poverty on acute secondary care service providers and service users.

Summary

The Home Energy Crisis Response Service provides a crisis support service across the NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde health board board area to mitigate the impact of fuel poverty for acute care and mental health patients. The service is funded by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde with the aim of improving the flow of patients being discharged from a hospital setting back into the community. Removing the obstacle of fuel poverty means that patients can return home with the assurance that they will have a warm home and the means to cook a warm meal. Energy advocates (specialist benefit and energy advisors) are also provided to help individuals post-discharge with targeted advice on how to cut their energy costs and access any help and/or funding they may be entitled to.

What difference does it make?

The impact is yet to be analysed due to the early stages of the project. However, if the project aims are met, the fund will help mitigate the negative effects of fuel/energy poverty on the acute secondary care service users accessing the fund.

Key take-aways

• The project aims to address the root causes of fuel poverty by identifying those in need of longer-term energy and/or fuel poverty support.
• The project addresses the link between ill health, energy/fuel poverty, and acute secondary care re/admissions.
• The project is accessible to acute secondary care staff experiencing energy/ fuel poverty as well as patients.

 

Organisations

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde; Money Matters Glasgow

Location

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde area (council areas for Glasgow City, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, Renfrewshire and West Dunbartonshire)

Contact