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Government extends ‘lifeline’ household support fund over winterEmily Sergeant

Vulnerable households in England are set to receive support for the cost of essentials this winter,the Government has announced.

As summer draws to a close and the autumn and winter months edge closer towards the end of the year, the Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall has this week announced an extension to the Government’s already-successful Household Support Fund for the next six months up until April 2025.

The Government says the £421 million extension “gives certainty” to local Councils and authorities across Englandover the winter months.

As the cost of living crisis sadly continues to make its impact felt nationwide, the Government is urging pensioners and anyone struggling with the cost of energy, food, and water over the colder monthsto contact their local Council to see what support may be available to them.

Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall has announced an extension to the #HouseholdSupportFund for the next six months

If you are in need of help, reach out to your local council to see what support they might be able to offer https://t.co/C0FeXKwNIY pic.twitter.com/epS2U5YPaz

— Department for Work and Pensions (@DWPgovuk) September 2, 2024

As well as covering the cost of winter essentials, many Councils also use the Household Support Fund beyond emergency support too – including working with local charities and community groups to provide residents with key appliances, school uniforms, cookery classes, and items to improve energy efficiency in the home.

The extension of the Household Support Scheme for a further six months comes after the Government has unfortunately revealed that around 1.3 million more people have fallen into poverty since 2010/11 – with living standards falling by the largest year-on-year drop since records began in 2022/23.

With the new Government continuing with its work to “deliver growth in the long term”, the extension of the Fund will help Councils to prevent vulnerable households from experiencing “an immediate cliff edge” of support with a tough winter ahead.

“We are extending the Household Support Fund for the next six months, because it is a lifeline for people who are struggling with the cost of living,” explained the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Liz Kendall.

“The dire inheritance we face means more people are living in poverty now than 14 years ago.

“This Government is taking immediate action to prevent a cliff edge of support for the most vulnerable in our society, and at the same time, we are taking action to fix the foundations of our country through our plans to grow the economy, make work pay, and Get Britain Working again.”

Council Leader @bevcraig has welcomed the extension of a multi-million pound which gives a vital lifeline to thousands Manchester people struggling with the cost of living.

Read more at https://t.co/ksB2O4XhjH pic.twitter.com/WlqWmijkFY

— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) September 2, 2024

Manchester’s City Council leader, Bev Craig, has welcomed the Fund’s extension.

“While we continue long-term work to address the causes of poverty, there is no doubt that extra short-term help is still urgently needed for those feeling the impact of the cost of living crisis on top of 14 years of austerity,” Cllr Craig commented.

Read more:

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“Today’s announcement will ensure we can give that extra support to those who need it most and we will work with the new government to tackle the long-term root causes.”

Featured Image – Aldi UK

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Dentists and opticians to run blood pressure checks to spot early signs of stroke or heart attacksEmily Sergeant

Dentists and opticians in England are to begin running blood pressure checks at appointments to help find people at hidden risk of strokes or heart attacks.

Following the success of community pharmacy blood pressure checks – which have already helped more than a million people keep on top of their risk of cardiovascular disease, without the need for an appointment – the new NHS scheme is set to be offered at routine dental and optometry appointments within the coming months.

According to the NHS, 4.2 million people in England are estimated to have high blood pressure, but as it usually presents no symptoms, they often have the condition without knowing it.

For anyone with high blood pressure, reducing it by even just a small amount can help lower the risk of secondary conditions such as strokes, heart attacks, kidney disease, vascular dementia, and more, but the only way to know if you have high blood pressure is to get a blood pressure test, and people often don’t think to get them.

This is why NHS is rolling out its new dental and optometry scheme very soon, after already piloting it parts of London and Yorkshire earlier this year.

15 local integrated care boards across England are taking part in the scheme six areas – with more than 60 clinical practices involved, and in excess of 100,000 blood pressure checks expected to be delivered over the next 12 months.

The new service will focus on case finding at dentists, five in optometry, and four will be offering checks at both dental and optometry sites.

The NHS hopes it’ll reach patients who may not otherwise have interactions with its services.

“These convenient checks at dentists and optometrists will enable thousands of people to monitor their blood pressure and could potentially be life-saving,” commented Helen Williams, who is the NHS’s National Clinical Director for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention.

“Many otherwise healthy people over 40 only visit their GP when they’re feeling unwell, but offering these vital checks as part of routine dentist or eye test appointments means we can identify and support more people at risk.

Read more:

• NHS 111 service to begin offering crisis mental health support for the first time
• People urged to give blood as NHS declares national shortage ‘amber alert’
• Some common illnesses can now be diagnosed and treated at NHS pharmacies instead of GPs

“High blood pressure is a significant factor in many cardiovascular diseases but as it usually has no symptoms, many people don’t know they have it, so I would urge anyone offered a check to come forward.”

Featured Image – agilemktg1 (via Flickr)