Link reported between poor housing and cost to NHS

A LINK between poor housing and added cost to the National Health Service has been reported by a research organisation dedicated to making the built environment better for all.

Albeit the report – by the Building Research Establishment – is focussed exclusively on England, the findings can be easily-enough imagined for Scotland.

Says BRE, here: “Poor housing in England could be costing the National Health Service (NHS) £1.4billion a year in treatment bills…

“According to BRE’s analysis, more than half (£857 million) of this annual NHS treatment bill can be attributed to defects in poor homes which expose residents to excess cold, while the second biggest cost to the NHS comes from hazards which cause people to fall and injure themselves, predominantly on staircases. Both issues are particularly dangerous for the most vulnerable in society, such as older people and families with young children.”

The announcement continues: “BRE was able to quantify the cost of poor housing to the NHS by combining existing data from the 2018 English Housing Survey on health and safety hazards in the home, with NHS treatment cost figures.”

Pictured: Glasgow, Picture credit: Place Design Scotland