Frances Mortimer and Tim Nicholson of the Campaign for Greener Healthcare attended the HPA Heatwave Seminar on 18th February in London. The Seminar will feed into the annual review of the DoH Heatwave Plan. There was a general consensus that whilst the plan is good more needs to be done to ensure it is comprehensively implemented. The workshop we attended on housing suggested a more combined approach to link measures addressing heatwave resilience, winter warmth, indoor air quality and carbon reduction.
Workshop Question: What are the implications of the links between heat, air quality and health for longer term planning in relation to existing and new housing?
Workshop Answer:
1. New Build
Need to address heat & indoor air quality – both covered in Housing Health and Safety Rating System* (HHSRS): the workshop recommended that HHSRS be applied to all new builds at planning stage.
In support of this, the workshop also recommended CLG/ DH/ HPA to provide guidance on heatwave adaptation measures via the Code for Sustainable Homes.
2. Existing Housing
Recommendation to use existing programmes (e.g. on winter warmth) and adopt combined approach to:
Health and safety (inc. winter warmth, heatwave resilience, indoor air quality)
Carbon reduction
HHSRS provides a framework for health aspects, but does not include carbon. Recommendation to supplement HHSRS with Energy Performance Certificate ratings, and apply them proactively to vulnerable housing groups (as in Liverpool, Bristol, Herefordshire). This will require some training on carbon/sustainability for those implementing HHSRS. As above, guidance on heatwave adaptation measures would be helpful – to assist EHPs in making recommendations following HHSRS assessment.
3. Evaluation
The workshop felt that housing programmes should be used to evaluate the impact of interventions on indoor air quality and on health itself; also to pilot technologies, e.g. ventilation systems.
* The Housing Health and Safety Rating System is a method for assessing risks from deficiencies in accommodation. For more details see www.hhsrs.org.uk
For a copy of the 2008 Heatwave plan click on the link below: www.londonprepared.gov.uk/downloads/heatwaveplanforengland.pdf
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