NHS AID ON HEATING
HOSPITAL patients are having their energy bills paid for by the NHS in a bid to cut admissions.
The new “warm home prescription scheme” provides support for those on low-incomes with health conditions made worse by living in cold houses.
GPs and NHS officials will contact patients who qualify and invite them to join the scheme, which is being piloted in Gloucestershire, Aberdeenshire and Tees Valley.
The drive aims to save the NHS money by keeping people out of hospital. Stuart Brennan, of Energy Systems Catapult, the company running the pilot, said: “If it’s cheaper, it’s a bit of a no-brainer.”