Homes have a vital role in our health. Given that most people spend the majority of their day at home, the quality and suitability of the living environment is crucial in preventing the onset of ill-health, supporting recovery and slowing the deterioration of certain conditions. The purity of the air, the right temperature, the ability to move around or rest as needed, feeling safe and without the threat of an injury – these are all components of a healthy home.
It is difficult to quantify the exact number of people whose homes negatively affect their health but nearly eight million people live in a property that falls below the nationally set minimum criteria for a decent home. Many more live in homes that sit just above this threshold, homes that could also pose a significant risk to people’s health.
Unsafe homes and the associated health conditions translate into an avoidable burden on the NHS and social care systems in the form of GP appointments, surgery, delayed discharges, rehabilitation provision, medication, etc.
It is estimated to cost the NHS £1.1 billion per year to treat the health consequences of living in a poor-quality home (England only; BRE, 2021). More than half of this is spent on people aged 55 and over despite people in this age group only accounting for a third of the people living in these dangerous homes (Centre for Ageing Better, 2024).
Poor-quality homes lived in by older people also cost £1.1 billion in formal social care costs and a further £3.5 billion in unpaid care (Brimblecombe et al, 2024). These homes cause an unnecessary pressure on an already stretched workforce, are a contributor to inflated waiting lists and a barrier to reducing health inequalities.
This report brings together evidence from a range of sources including the Centre for Ageing Better and West Yorkshire Integrated Care System’s jointly funded evaluation of the area’s Winter Warmth programme, an NHS-funded intervention to improve the health and wellbeing of the local population through home improvement and fuel poverty interventions.
The paper concludes with a summary of the lessons learnt and provides ideas for local areas interested in exploring similar initiatives.
