New tool for health and care staff to support people living in damp and mouldy homes
- 9th January 2025
A Damp and Mould checklist for health and care staff across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) is being piloted by Bristol Health Partners and Bristol One City.
Almost 10 million UK households live in cold, damp and poorly insulated homes. Living in these conditions can have huge impacts on health and wellbeing. Following the shocking case of two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died in December 2020 from a severe respiratory infection as a result of prolonged exposure to damp and mould in his home, national reform of housing legislation is ongoing.
The simple checklist is designed to support health and care staff who see patients in primary, community and secondary care settings, to identify and respond to damp and mould or fuel poverty concerns which may be impacting health. It provides guidance on actions to take including advice, signposting and template letters to raise housing issues.
It also includes referral information for South Gloucestershire and North Somerset, supporting health and care staff who work across BNSSG.
The pilot checklist has been developed collaboratively by health and housing leads as part of the Bristol One City Damp and Mould group. The group includes representatives from various partners, including: the NHS, social care, the Centre for Sustainable Energy, Housing Matters, social housing providers, private sector housing and Bristol Health Partners SHINE Health Integration Team (Supporting Healthy and Inclusive Neighbourhood Environments).
Its aim is to provide effective signposting for health and care staff to support individuals locally whose health is affected by living with damp, mould or fuel poverty.
Test and feed back
The group is keen to embed the checklist into health and care practice across the region, so any feedback on the pilot version would be greatly appreciated. Please feed back by 24 February 2025.
If you would like to comment, or have any other questions, please contact:
- Adele Vowles, Senior Public Health Specialist – Healthy People Healthy Places, Bristol Council: [email protected]
- Karen Llewellyn, Senior Project Manager, Bristol Health Partners: [email protected]
A Bristol One City Damp and Mould group presentation is available to support this work. Download the slides
