My MP John McDonell has had a reply from the pensioners minister over my concern for the loss of Winter Fuel Allowance to those OAPs just outside the narrow criteria to qualify. I had particularly highlighted with John the danger to life of those that are home managed on Continuous Positive Air Pressure {CPAP}in home management of Sleep apnoea. It is important given the fact that air is positive pressured from the room the patient sleeps in that it must be warm air. So there can be no drop in temperature from inability to afford central heating on through the night. My near miss as I wrote on previous blogposts was when my heating went off in just above zero temp and my cat woke me and saved my life. I was falling into hypothermia and could have lost my life. This alerted me to think of all patients home managed on CPAP ....i also asked if an impact analysis had been performed on this policy to limit Winter Fuel Allowance to home managed patients requiring necessary energy driven equipment. Note: [I also wrote to Wes Streeting and the Dept of Health and Social care but have NOT RECEIVED A RESPONSE AS YET! )
So what response did John My MP get from Torsten Bell MP presently Minister for Pensions!
Well despite the letter reference being "Your Ref: CPAP users - 1-2025 " there has been no reference in the letter to the very specific concern of home managed patients on CPAP or indeed any mention of home managed patients on any other necessary equipment that require energy source.
The letter opens with the rhetoric we are hearing in media interviews of hard decisions having to be made to bring Public Finances back under control. Despite we all being the taxpayers paying in for Public services to be met to support those in need. The "need" is defined in the letter as those on low income pensioners who need Pension Credit and thus then will qualify for Winter Fuel Allowance. There is no recognition that the criteria to quality is narrow and restricted not accepting that there are a bulk of OAPs just outside the criteria that do not quality but are not wealthy! They may have eroded savings to live and meet bill pressures and struggling overall but not meeting the criteria for this help.
Interestingly and needs further scrutiny it is stated in the letter that over a 16 week period of promoting Pension Credit that there have been 150,000 applications but he states that 42,000 new awards have been made. So what has become of the remaining 107,000 that applied but not received the award. What was their circumstances to need help and why not given help?
There is a claim that government is completely committed to supporting pensioners and giving them dignity they deserve in retirement. He states the protection of the triple lock will ensure 12 million pensioners will benefit. The State Pension forecasted to increase by around £1900 but what of increasing energy prices and cost of living. Surely this will erode the increase in SP.
There are references to an array of support to remain comfortable and safe in the winter months.
Cold Weather Payments only for the defined low income pensioners.
Warm Home Discount £150 rebate on Electricity - but what of Gas CH?
There is a massive claim to say that gov expect over 3 million households including 1 million pensioners to benefit under the scheme!
**Now this is giving me concern - there is supposed to be £500 million that the Minister for Energy Consumers has agreed to help energy company customers that are struggling with winter bills.
So this money is given to the suppliers to credit bills and enhance debt write off. BUT does not give any indication on how this is monitored and where and who gets that funding. This we need to challenge to get an audit on where this money went and what customer cases received this help.
I tried to apply to EON next and submitted in confidence screen captures of my Harefield medical notes but was turned down. They wanted a letter to say I was end of life!!! Not that I was supported in life by my CPAP to cut the risk of hypertension. stroke and cardiac failure the long term effects of Sleep Apnoea ..AND ON THAT NOTE I am saving NHS funding by not being an inpatient of any of those conditions! I am being treated to keep me safe from these life threatening situations. So still no recognition of my need for help with Winter Fuel Allowance of this a portion of this £500 million!!
All this really hurts me as I write as you know I am a 1950s born woman that has been denied 6years State Pension and now the Ombudsman demand for compensation. It extra hurts as you know I am a DV survivor in my vulnerable years without the super assets I should have to be a Woman of Financial Substance to weather any energy bills storm increases.
So back to this letter content we are told that the Warm Homes plan to created cleaner energy through Solar and Heat Pumps has been awarded £3.4 billion over the next 3 years this included £1.8 billion to support fuel poverty to help 225,000 homes lower bills by £200 !?!
I am so wary of all these figures banded around just like Johnson era .. and like me challenging Johnson he could not give any audit data and measures of outcome. We absolutely need transparency of where this money is going and how used and who helped after all it is our tax money our contributions that are funding this. Yes as an OAP and those on benefits we still pay back to the treasury at the very least VAT on goods and services we purchase. There are many tax channels to return funds back to the treasury. So we really do need #Showusthespreadsheet..
When will the present government recognise Home Managed patients saving NHS by not being Inpatients but needing energy costs help for vital clinical equipment?
Lets see elderly population stats.
Refs links:
Population Stats we need a breakdown of home managed patients.
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