Aims and ambitions
This e-learning module has been developed to help people whose health is affected by living in a cold home. It supports health and social care professionals to put NICE Guidance NG6 ‘Excess winter deaths and illness and the health risks associated with cold homes’ into practice. It empowers professionals to direct people in cold homes to services that can help them overcome the problem. This can be via each local council’s environmental health team or through other local services that provide support to repair or replace heating systems, install insulation, switch to a cheaper energy deal or better manage temperature and ventilation at home.
How learners will benefit from doing this course
As a practitioner who does home visits, you will learn to spot the signs that someone is living in a cold home that is affecting their health – including less obvious ones. You will find out what services to help people living in cold homes exist in the area where you work. You will be able to pass the contact details on to someone living in a cold home or refer them directly for assistance. By helping improve someone’s living conditions, you can help improve their health. This can reduce the need for future home visits, GP attendances, A&E attendances and hospital admissions. It can also enable people to return home more quickly following a stay in hospital.
Who it’s aimed at
This e-learning module is suitable for staff who visit patients, service users or customers in their homes. Already having completed MECC (Making Every Contact Count) training would be an advantage, but not essential.
Course content
Helping people living in cold homes
Duration
25 minutes