Energy price drop will not help terminally ill enough
Ofgem’s new energy price has come into effect. But the drop is unlikely to fill people’s pockets as bills are expected to be 13 per cent higher compared to last winter.
People living with terminal illness often struggle to stay warm because of their condition, particularly as their symptoms make them feel colder and their mobility declines.
The only option is to turn the heating up higher, and for longer. Charging and using electronic medical equipment can also be costly, and an increased schedule of washing and drying clothes all adds up.
Almost 85 per cent of Marie Curie clinical teams have supported patients struggling with the cost of energy.
And in a poll Marie Curie previously commissioned of the Scottish public, 94 per cent were concerned about family or friends who are terminally ill being able to keep their home warm over autumn and winter, with 75 per cent stating they would struggle to pay their energy bills in autumn and winter if they were diagnosed with a terminal illness and unable to work.
Marie Curie is calling on the Scottish and UK Governments to:
- Deliver a social tariff which supports terminally ill people’s needs through a whole-system approach, including working with energy providers
- Commit to increasing targeted energy support for terminally ill people in the upcoming Government budgets
- Include terminally ill people in the eligibility for any increased support from the Warm Homes Discount this winter
Increased costs, coupled with income loss from often having to reduce or give up work entirely because of terminal illness, create a double burden which forces terminally ill people, their families and carers below the poverty line. This is unacceptable.
Ellie Wagstaff, senior policy manager, Marie Curie Scotland
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Partnership to support people and animals
Two of Scotland’s leading charities, SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health) and the Scottish SPCA, are teaming up to promote the welfare of both animals and people, and pooling resources to support local communities together.
Almost one in three adults in Scotland reported their mental health deteriorated after the pandemic.
Nationally, 25 per cent of Scots have a dog and 20 per cent have a cat.
With 220,000 pet owners in Scotland saying they have cut back on food or care for their animal, the two charities are working together to provide a vital lifeline to both.
In the context of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and lengthy waiting times for mental health treatment, the charities have launched a partnership designed to protect people’s wellbeing and pets’ welfare, with the ultimate aim of keeping people and their pets together.
Through this new partnership, frontline colleagues from both organisations will be upskilled on how to identify animal welfare issues or mental health problems at an early stage, enabling help to be sought fast.
The charities will also share resources so all colleagues are confident in signposting people to additional support, helping to keep pets and people together.
This may involve directing people to mental health and wellbeing support, helping them access pet food banks, advising on vet care, or helping people to source pet behavioural support.
SAMH and the Scottish SPCA will also work to raise awareness of the interconnections between human and animal welfare.
SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health) and the Scottish SPCA