The elderly are advised to keep warm at least 18°C then Labour cut the winter fuel payment why?
Labour in 2019 said we will maintain the ‘triple lock’ and guarantee the Winter Fuel Payment, In Labour 2024 we are to cut the winter fuel payment for pensioners, the government is poorly prepared, and many are in danger if we have a spell of extreme cold temperatures.
The NHS recommends that older people take precautions to stay warm and well during the winter, especially if they have a pre-existing condition:
Keep warm
Maintain a home temperature of at least 18°C, and keep bedroom windows closed at night. Use a hot water bottle or electric blanket to keep warm in bed.
Eat and drink
Have at least one hot meal daily, and drink hot drinks regularly.
Heart attacks increase almost immediately after a cold snap accounting for two-in-five winter excess deaths (the number of people who die during winter months compared to non-winter), and the same proportion of NHS excess winter admissions.
Hospitals also see a rise in the admission of stroke patients five days after the cold weather begins and peak respiratory admissions go up 12 days after the temperature drops.
The NHS advises those most vulnerable to take sensible precautions to minimise the after-effects of extreme cold weather. The elderly are advised to keep warm, indoors and out, and to heat their homes to at least 18 degrees Celsius.
Every winter, bed occupancy rates exceed dangerous levels and patients now wait far too long to see their GP, for an ambulance or treatment, with the cut to winter fuel things can only get worse. National Institutes of Health informs “It has been observed that winter mortality can be higher among lower social classes”
Members of the Welsh Conservative Senedd Group will be campaigning in local communities across Wales on Saturday in opposition to and raising awareness of Keir Starmer’s Labour UK Government’s scrapping of Winter Fuel Payments for over half a million Welsh pensioners ahead of a Welsh Conservative Senedd debate on the topic next week.
Commenting, Andrew RT Davies MS, Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, said:
“Labour’s decision to scrap the Winter Fuel Payment for most pensioners is unforgivable.
“That’s why Welsh Conservative Senedd Members will be out in force the length and breadth of Wales, highlighting our opposition to this punitive political decision.
“Keir Starmer has the wrong priorities and Labour in Wales’ failure to oppose this unfair measure, that will hit Wales even harder than elsewhere, is utterly shameful.”
