Is your health, or that of someone you know, being made worse by cold or damp living conditions? Vulnerable people in that situation who live in Staffordshire, or certain other parts of the country, may qualify for the Health Through Warmth (HTW) scheme, which is funded by the energy company npower, and run in partnership with the National Health Service and National Energy Action.
This scheme identifies what measures are needed to improve the living conditions of the client, for example through better insulation or a new central heating boiler. Sources of funding are then identified, either from a special npower fund or elsewhere, and the works are carried out.
Clients are referred to the scheme by health or other community workers, and local authorities, primary care trusts, and other agencies in the operational areas covered by the scheme should all be aware of it. Further afield, outside these key HTW operational areas, npower HTW hardship funds are administered by the Foundations Independent Living Trust, which is the national body for home improvement agencies. It works with local agencies to assist vulnerable homeowners, and enable them to carry on living independently in their own homes.
How to enquire about the scheme
Contact your doctor, community support worker, or other health worker. Referrals from a health worker are assessed by the HTW Area Coordinator, who will determine eligibility for the scheme, organize a property survey, and identify possible grants or other funding. The Area Coordinator for Stafford Borough, and other parts of north and east Staffordshire, is Gail Bates, tel. (01785) 619630.
Case study
Seventy-two-year-old Kenneth Stone lives with his wife Margaret in Quinton, Birmingham, and has arthritis and bronchitis. The central heating in their home had a history of breaking down and it eventually stopped working all together. The cold temperatures in his home were having a detrimental affect on his health. Mr Stone’s local Council Neighbourhood Office referred him to the npower Health Through Warmth scheme to see if he could receive any help replacing his boiler. As a result, Mr Stone had a new boiler installed costing £2,532 and funding was split equally between himself and the Health Through Warmth crisis fund. Mr Stone said: "I'm extremely grateful for the help I have received from the npower Health Through Warmth scheme. When the old boiler was condemned it was very difficult for my wife and I. The new boiler has made a world of difference to my arthritis; the rooms heat up really quickly and the house is much more comfortable now it's warm. I can’t thank you enough. "The new boiler is really reliable and I now have the peace of mind that I can keep my home warm, particularly in the cold winter months when my arthritis is at its worst." One of the case studies from the npower Health Through Warmth website |
