Heating cut will hit health of elderly

Published: 22 October, 2010

• AS I am a nurse and shift worker at Barts Hospital, it is important for me that the heating and hot water is reliable and accessible where I live at Spa Green estate in Clerkenwell. 

While we have 24-hour heating at present, Islington Council now intends to reduce it to 18 hours. I have lived on this estate for five years and, although the heating has been erratic in recent years, I was assured that when it did work my flat would be warm all winter and during the transitional months. I was also willing to pay for this.

As we do not have individual heating systems for our flats, it is extremely important that the central heating system is fair and equitable to all who live there. This includes the elderly and infirm, those with small children and those with respiratory illnesses. 

As a nurse, I am acutely aware that the elderly and infirm may have multiple health issues where keeping warm is an essential aspect of remaining well.

When the heating is off, these flats get cold very quickly as there is no insulation. An elderly person is more at risk of becoming hypothermic rapidly. 

This is a public health issue and in my opinion a basic human rights issue as well. It should also be noted that the elderly (and medically unwell) are much more likely to suffer from insomnia, so will be awake and, in some cases, may not be aware of becoming cold (or have a carer to advise them). 

Therefore, people will be more at risk of health complications likely to involve a completely avoidable hospital admission. One would assume that the primary care trust would want to avoid this and keep the population of Islington – young and old – healthy and safe. Studies have shown that the UK has the highest rates of excess winter-related mortality in Europe.

As well as working erratic shift patterns, I am also asthmatic and agree with other Spa Green residents that the cold does exacerbate my asthma, which is incidentally worse at night (when Homes for Islington is intending to switch off the heating). 

ELISABETH ROBSON
Spa Green estate, EC1  

• AS a mother of three children, I strongly oppose the decision to switch off the heating on Spa Green estate overnight. 

I have a three-week-old baby who can be up throughout the night. I find it a disgrace that we will not have the luxury of being able to sit in a heated flat while I feed my baby or have to bath him. 

My flat loses its heat quickly as we have no cavity wall insulation. To add to this problem, we have been advised to keep our windows open to avoid the damp and mould problem which arose as our windows were never fitted with trickle ventilation.

No heating at night and keeping windows open result in our flat having a temperature close to that outside.

LUCINDA BOWERS
Spa Green estate, EC1