HOSPITALS in Essex have begun monitoring the number of elderly patients needing treatment because of the cold in response to the cut to the winter fuel allowance for pensioners reports the Local Democracy Reporter.

The winter fuel payment was previously paid to all pensioners to help with energy bills, with the government has scrapped the scheme for all except those on certain benefits.

It has sparked concern from Essex council leaders who have moved to pass resolutions urging the government to reconsider its stance.

At a meeting of the Essex County Council health scrutiny board Sarah Tedford, interim managing director for Broomfield Hospital, said Mid and South Essex NHS trust managers were already discussing potential impacts of the decision.

She said: “I’m not sure we’ll see an impact on discharges but one of the things we have talked about is will there be an impact on admissions.

“If older people are getting cold and not looking after themselves in the winter what might that impact be?

“None of us can estimate that that is something that we are thinking about and aware of the fragility of some of these people older people is such that it doesn’t take much for them to become unwell again.

“I think it’s a risk. It’s not on the risk register but it’s an area that obviously we will monitor If we see admissions increasing above what we would expect.

“That is the sort of thing we will be looking at and trying to understand what happening.

The move also sparked concern from Labour members which formally passed a motion demanding to scrap the decision, which would axe the £300 payment for all but the poorest OAPs.

The U-turn was put forward by Unite – one of Labour’s most powerful union backers and the Communication Workers’ Union (CWU) at the annual Labour Party conference in Liverpool last month.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham told the conference: “I do not understand how our new Labour government can cut the winter fuel allowance for pensioners and leave the super-rich untouched. This is not what people voted for. It is the wrong decision and needs to be reversed.”

In order to be eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment this year, someone must have been born before September 23, 1958 and claiming one of the following benefits between September 16 and September 22, 2024:

Income Support
Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
Pension Credit
Universal Credit
But for anyone not claiming one of these benefits during the qualifying week, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed there is still a way you can qualify.

Pension credit claims can be backdated by three months, which means they have until December 21 to apply and still be entitled to the Winter Fuel Payment.

Pension Credit tops up weekly income to £218.15, or £332.95 for couples. But as well as giving extra income, it also unlocks other perks such as free dental treatment and vouchers for glasses or contact lenses, or a free TV licence if you’re over the age of 75.