Health officials probe cost of poor housing

DH officials will carry out initial scoping work that will examine local data on housing stock conditions and link this to the health of local populations. It intends to estimate the costs to health bodies and local authorities of poor housing.

The move, which housing figures believe to be unprecedented, signals a growing willingness at the top of government to strengthen the links between housing, health and social care policy.

Domini Gunn, director of health and well-being at the Chartered Institute of Housing, welcomed the move. “What we need is leadership from the top, and crucially we need action on a local level,” she said.

Last year, Inside Housing’s Housing Benefits campaign demonstrated the impact that social landlords have on local healthcare outcomes.

A DH spokesperson said the initiative was intended to “push housing issues higher up local agendas, and to engage a wider range of audiences”. He added it was too early to say whether social landlords would be invited to take part in the research.

Jon Rouse, director general for social care at DH, said in a blog post despite poor housing costing the NHS £1.4bn per year, it is “still surprisingly rare for health and care services to recognise the benefit of investing in housing improvements”. Mr Rouse, who is leading the research, was previously the chief executive of the Housing Corporation, the predecessor to the Homes and Communities Agency. He is set to leave the DH to head up Greater Manchester’s new £6bn devolved health budget.

Tony Stacey, chief executive of South Yorkshire Housing Association (SYHA), welcomed the department’s initiative: “There is huge conservatism and resistance to [housing and health integration] in health service structures,” he said.

Brendan Sarsfield, chief executive of Family Mosaic, said the DH exercise was “great news” and added that housing was the “third leg” to health and social care.

Shortly before the general election last year, Cabinet Office chief Oliver Letwin met with social landlords to discuss health and housing integration. However, little has emerged since this meeting, and housing minister Brandon Lewis last year said the bulk of housing association efforts should be put into housebuilding.

Housing providers have warned that benefit changes, such as the government’s new “Local Housing Allowance cap” in social housing, will jeopardise plans to rehouse vulnerable outside of hospital.