The County Durham Healthy Homes Partnership is a strategic partnership concerned with reducing fuel poverty and encouraging people to keep warm and keep healthy, rather than suffering from the effects of the cold. We also offer fire safety and home safety advice.
The partnership is made up of a number of organisations, including: NHS County Durham, tadea, County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service, Welfare Rights, Age Concern, Durham County Council and Durham Dales GP Led Commissioning Consortium.
This site is designed for partner organisations to use for their information and resources, as well as for the public to take our advice and work towards having a warm and healthy home.
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Tagged cdhhp, cold, county durham, county durham healthy homes partnership, fire safety, fuel poverty, healthy home, home, home safety, introduction, keep healthy, keep warm
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We recently produced a short article for the British Lung Foundation Breathe Easy Network website for their section for the north of England. You can find it here: British Lung Foundation Hotspots Article.
The Winter Fuel Payment is a tax free payment designed to help older people to keep warm over the winter. It is paid to over 60s (anyone born on or before 5th January 1951).
Those people excluded from the Winter Fuel Payment include:
- People who have been in hospital for more than 52 weeks as an inpatient receiving free treatment.
- People who are in prison.
- People in a care home (and have been for more than 12 weeks).
The payments are made between November and December, and if you are eligible, you can receive between £100 and £300 depending on your circumstances. To work out how much you are likely to receive, click here: Directgov How much you can get.
Continue reading →
Here at CDHHP, we understand the importance of keeping warm, especially as the cold weather starts to set in. We also understand why you would want to be warm and comfortable in bed. However, it is important to recognise the dangers that electric blankets can present if you don’t know what to look out for. Electric blankets cause more than 5,000 fires every year so it’s important to stay safe.
When it comes to electric blankets, there are a number of danger signs to look out for, including:
- Fraying fabric
- Scorch marks
- Exposed elements
- Creasing or folding
- Soiling
- Damp patches
- Tie tapes damaged or missing
- Worn flex
- Loose connection at plugs or controls
- Damaged Plug or mains lead
Electric Blanket Facts: Continue reading →
Have you received Hotspots training from us? Have you ever referred clients to us? Would you like to have your say?
If you are a health or social care professional and have received Hotspots training from us, we want to hear from you! Please fill out our online questionnaire to let us know how you would like us to improve our sessions. It will only take a few minutes of your time and would make a massive difference to how we deliver our services.
You can find the questionnaire here: Hotspots Referrer Feedback.
Thank you!
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Tagged advice, cdhhp, county durham healthy homes partnership, feedback, help, hotspots, questionnaire, referrals, training
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In December 2010, we posted about Macmillan Cancer Care’s ‘Infi-Knit’ Campaign. You can read our original article about it here.
The campaign involved asking the public to contribute their suggestions of how to keep warm. For each suggestion, a part of the scarf was knitted by the ‘Knit-Bot’ and it was possible to watch the scarf’s creation online.
The campaign was designed to raise awareness about fuel poverty for people with cancer. 1 in 4 cancer patients live in fuel poverty because they have to spend more time at home during treatment. The cancer treatment can cause hair loss, make you feel less active, and affect your appetitie, which can make someone more likely to feel the cold. These patients are often too young for Winter Fuel Allowance, so they tend to slip through the net when it comes to receiving extra help. It is also sometimes hard for cancer patients to access other benefits while they are unable to work, which means that it is very easy for them to fall into debt.
In July Macmillan campaigners, Joy Beddows and Mary Clarke, presented the 127 metre long scarf petition to Greg Barker, the minister in charge of fuel poverty. Over 5000 people took part in the campaign, which will hopefully help the government to take it seriously.
For more information, go to: Macmillan’s Website.
We are pleased to announce that the Autumn edition (Issue 3) of the Hotspots newsletter is now online. You can find it here:
Hotspots Newsletter Issue 3 Autumn 2011
If you would like to be added to our newsletter mailing list, simply fill in the comment box below with your details.
We have had an article featured in NEA’s Fuel Debt Advice Bulletin. The article explains who we are at the County Durham Healthy Homes Partnership and how the Hotspots referral mechanism works. You can read the article here:FDA Bulletin Aug 2011 v3 _
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Tagged bulletin, cdhhp, county durham healthy homes partnership, emergency fund, fuel debt advice, hotspots, NEA, newsletter, partners, referral
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