Summary
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has raised draft guidance on how to reduce deaths and illnesses among elderly people in winter. The advice also covers other groups vulnerable to the cold, including people with respiratory conditions such as children with asthma, and those with cardiovascular conditions.
The NICE Centre for Public Health’s recommendations include:
- One-stop local health and housing referral services for people living in cold homes, to offer access to grants for housing insulation and heating.
- Identification of people at risk of ill-health from living in cold homes, particularly those most vulnerable to the cold due to age or medical conditions.
- Ensuring vulnerable hospital patients are not discharged to cold homes.
- Awareness training for heating engineers, meter installers and providers of housing insulation about how to help vulnerable people at home.
Reference
‘Identify people living in cold homes’, says NICE. London: BBC Health News, June 13th 2014.
This relates to:
Reference
Excess winter deaths and illnesses: guideline consultation. London: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), June 13th 2014.
The full draft guideline, currently open for consultation:
Reference
Public Health Draft Guideline: Excess winter deaths and morbidity and the health risks associated with cold homes. London: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), June 12th 2014.
The NICE Public Health Advisory Committee assembled the following supporting information:
Reference
Excess winter deaths and illnesses: guideline consultation supporting evidence. London: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), June 13th 2014.
