‘It made me depressed’: how poor housing costs the NHS £1.4bn a year”
We had a very interesting Rural Services All Party Parliamentary Group meeting on Tuesday. One central theme was the role housing plays in sustaining the well-being of old people in rural settings. There is still some considerable way to go before the quality of supply responds to people’s needs but there is loads of scope for innovation, particularly around modular housing. This article piqued my interest in the context of the challenge of creating a sustainable adult social care system in rural England. It tells us about the negative impact of poor housing on the health and well-being of its residents:
The impact of poor housing on residents’ mental and physical health is well evidenced. In 2017, research by Shelter found that one in five adults had experienced mental health issues in the past five years due to housing problems, and GPs say housing issues are often a key factor in patients’ mental health conditions. According to the University of Birmingham’s housing and communities research group, one fifth of housing stock in England does not meet the decent home standard.
Poor housing costs the NHS £1.4bn a year according to the Building Research Establishment. In terms of physical health, cold, damp homes can increase the risk of cardiovascular, respiratory and rheumatoid conditions. They exacerbate symptoms of arthritis and reduce dexterity among elderly people, increasing the risk of falls. Poor housing represents a similar risk to the NHS as physical inactivity, smoking or alcohol. It’s a link the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, made in 2017, when he suggested the NHS could in future pay to remove the damp from council homes.