Written by Amy Beecham
As millions choose to heat or eat, this is the reality of how the cost of living crisis is impacting our health.
For months now, the cost of living crisis has been touching every part of our lives, from our finances and mental wellbeing to our relationships – and now our health.
As 6.5 million households in the UK face fuel poverty and food bank usage has increased by 17% since last year, the NHS has warned that a rising number of people will fall sick and see their health worsen unless the government takes further action to limit energy price rises.
In a letter to government ministers, the NHS Confederation stated that the UK was facing a “humanitarian crisis” alongside rising inflation, as more and more people are forced to choose betweenskipping meals to heat their homes or having to live in cold and damp conditions.
The group warned the risk of ill-health linked to the energy crisis would come on top of what many expect to be one of the toughest winters on record because of the combination of flu, norovirus and Covid-19 outbreaks. Cold conditions are already linked to 10,000 deaths a year and can lead to a rise in respiratory conditions, as well as increasing the risk of heart attacks, strokes and falls in older people.
Over the past few years, excess winter mortality rates have spiked, with an estimated 63,000 deaths occurring in England and Wales in winter 2020 to 2021, 6.1 times higher than winter 2019 to 2020. While the growth was driven by Covid-19, there are very real concerns that the upcoming winter could be catastrophic for those forced to choose between heating and eating.
According to anti-poverty charity Turn2Us, 47% of its service users report being left with nothing to live on each week after paying for housing, council tax and utility bills. The same group also reported weekly food costs of £75, leaving many pushed into debt just to put meals on the table. This figure rose to £93 per week for families with children, with 49% reporting to have nothing left to live on each week.
As well as leading to more illness, the Confederation said rising energy bills would also have a major impact on mental health and wellbeing. Research led by the Money and Mental Health institute earlier this year found that people with mental health problems are nearly twice as likely as those without to say they have felt unable to cope due to the rising cost of living.
Despite repeated calls to do more, the government has stuck by its initially announced support package of£400 to help with rising fuel bills this autumn, with the money paid in six instalments this autumn. No further support is set to be announced until the new prime minister is confirmed on 5 September. However, a government spokesperson told the BBC that ministers were continuing to work closely with the NHS to ensure the service was ready for winter pressures, including making provision for increasing the number of hospital beds available.
Images: Getty
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