Winter fuel cuts to cost NHS £169m a year

Nearly 75,000 retirees have applied for pension credit since the end of July in the hope of hanging on to their winter fuel payment, official figures show. If all applications are successful, it could cost the Government as much as £540m, according to analysts Policy in Practice.Charities have voiced concerns about the impact on the most vulnerable, in particular those who face additional energy costs as they need to run medical equipment at home. Research carried out last year by charity Sue Ryder found that around four in five people receiving palliative and end-of-life care had already been unable to run essential medical equipment due to high energy costs since April 2022. Almost half of the group said visits from healthcare professionals increased as a result of being unable to run essential medical equipment.Kidney UK has said that older patients running home dialysis machines could face hardship as a result of the change and there is a…