CRUEL WINTER FUEL CUTS 'WILL COST NHS £169M A YEAR'

Cold payment policy would result in '262,000 older people needing medical treatment”

- Katie Harris

LABOUR'S callous winter fuel payment cut will leave 262,000 pensioners needing NHS treatment at a cost of £169million to the taxpayer.

Modelling by the End Fuel Poverty Coalition estimates the additional cost of treating them because of cold, damp homes. Ten million pensioners are set to miss out on the allowance under the change by Sir Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves which has sparked a furious backlash.

Shadow work and pensions secretary Mel Stride said: "Pensioners are highly vulnerable to the cold.

"Older people are going to struggle to keep their homes warm. Labour's decision to cut support this winter will mean greater burdens on the NHS.

"This is another example of why there should have been a proper assessment of the wider impacts of this policy, which the Government failed to carry out.

"They have now been forced to admit in response to my parliamentary questions that the vast majority of pensioners already in poverty will lose their winter fuel payment. This is utterly disgraceful."

The analysis estimates that the overall cost to the NHS of pensioners living in cold, damp homes in 2024 will be £1.5 billion just over £4million a day with 2,265,412 needing treatment.

Volatile

If the winter fuel payment was restored this would lower the number requiring treatment to 2,003,530 meaning 261,882 fewer patients. As a result the daily cost to the NHS would fall to £3.6million, saving the health service more than £169million a year.

Simon Francis, co-ordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, said: "The long-term way to reduce the costs to the NHS of people living in cold, damp homes is to improve insulation and ventilation of buildings as well as stabilise energy costs by getting the country away from being hooked on volatile gas prices.

"But until the Government delivers on these areas vulnerable households will continue to need financial support.