A Qualitative Evaluation of the Warm Banks Scheme as a Response to the Cost-of-Living Crisis in North East England

IF 2 4区 医学 Q3 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH
Piotr Teodorowski, Miranda Trevor
{"title":"A Qualitative Evaluation of the Warm Banks Scheme as a Response to the Cost-of-Living Crisis in North East England","authors":"Piotr Teodorowski,&nbsp;Miranda Trevor","doi":"10.1155/2024/6632781","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div>\n <p>Fuel poverty was a significant problem during the cost-of-living crisis that started in 2021 as energy prices increased. Local authorities launched warm bank schemes around the United Kingdom to address this problem by providing warm spaces for residents to visit who could not heat their homes. This paper reports on an evaluation of the warm bank scheme launched by South Tyneside Council in winter 2022, locally known as Welcoming Places. Over 70 locations were opened around the borough. The evaluation consisted of two stages. In stage 1, we conducted semistructured interviews (<i>n</i> = 16) with residents who attended Welcoming Places and two focus groups with people running them (<i>n</i> = 9). In stage 2, we discussed the initial findings from stage 1 in a focus group with residents (<i>n</i> = 8). Three major themes are presented: “help and support with the cost-of-living crisis,” “it’s worth its weight in gold,” and “capability and strength of Welcoming Places.” This is one of the first evaluations of a warm bank scheme in England. We illustrate how the Welcoming Places in South Tyneside were used and experienced by residents. The scheme was valued by residents, provided significant support during the cost-of-living crisis, and had a positive impact on self-reported mental health among participants. Warm bank schemes offer a practical, rapid public health response to the cost-of-living crisis for local authorities as well as improving residents’ mental health and well-being; however, holistic approaches must be taken to address the underlying causes of fuel poverty.</p>\n </div>","PeriodicalId":48195,"journal":{"name":"Health & Social Care in the Community","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1155/2024/6632781","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Health & Social Care in the Community","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/2024/6632781","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0

Abstract

Fuel poverty was a significant problem during the cost-of-living crisis that started in 2021 as energy prices increased. Local authorities launched warm bank schemes around the United Kingdom to address this problem by providing warm spaces for residents to visit who could not heat their homes. This paper reports on an evaluation of the warm bank scheme launched by South Tyneside Council in winter 2022, locally known as Welcoming Places. Over 70 locations were opened around the borough. The evaluation consisted of two stages. In stage 1, we conducted semistructured interviews (n = 16) with residents who attended Welcoming Places and two focus groups with people running them (n = 9). In stage 2, we discussed the initial findings from stage 1 in a focus group with residents (n = 8). Three major themes are presented: “help and support with the cost-of-living crisis,” “it’s worth its weight in gold,” and “capability and strength of Welcoming Places.” This is one of the first evaluations of a warm bank scheme in England. We illustrate how the Welcoming Places in South Tyneside were used and experienced by residents. The scheme was valued by residents, provided significant support during the cost-of-living crisis, and had a positive impact on self-reported mental health among participants. Warm bank schemes offer a practical, rapid public health response to the cost-of-living crisis for local authorities as well as improving residents’ mental health and well-being; however, holistic approaches must be taken to address the underlying causes of fuel poverty.

Abstract Image

对英格兰东北部应对生活费用危机的 "温暖银行计划 "的定性评估
在 2021 年开始的生活费用危机期间,随着能源价格的上涨,燃料贫困成为一个严重问题。为解决这一问题,英国各地的地方政府推出了 "温暖银行 "计划,为无法取暖的居民提供温暖的空间。本文报告了对南泰恩赛德郡议会于 2022 年冬季推出的温暖银行计划(当地称为 "欢迎场所")的评估。该计划在郡内开设了 70 多个地点。评估包括两个阶段。在第 1 阶段,我们对参加过 "欢迎地点 "的居民进行了半结构化访谈(n=16),并与管理 "欢迎地点 "的人员进行了两次焦点小组讨论(n=9)。在第 2 阶段,我们与居民(n = 8)在焦点小组中讨论了第 1 阶段的初步结果。提出了三大主题:"帮助和支持应对生活费用危机"、"物有所值 "以及"'欢迎之家'的能力和实力"。这是对英格兰温暖银行计划的首次评估之一。我们说明了南泰恩赛德的 "欢迎之地 "是如何被居民使用和体验的。该计划受到了居民的重视,在生活费用危机期间提供了重要支持,并对参与者自我报告的心理健康产生了积极影响。温暖银行计划为地方政府应对生活费用危机提供了切实可行、快速的公共卫生对策,同时也改善了居民的心理健康和幸福感;但是,必须采取综合方法来解决燃料贫困的根本原因。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
求助全文
约1分钟内获得全文 求助全文
来源期刊
CiteScore
4.50
自引率
8.30%
发文量
423
期刊介绍: Health and Social Care in the community is an essential journal for anyone involved in nursing, social work, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, general practice, health psychology, health economy, primary health care and the promotion of health. It is an international peer-reviewed journal supporting interdisciplinary collaboration on policy and practice within health and social care in the community. The journal publishes: - Original research papers in all areas of health and social care - Topical health and social care review articles - Policy and practice evaluations - Book reviews - Special issues
×
引用
GB/T 7714-2015
复制
MLA
复制
APA
复制
导出至
BibTeX EndNote RefMan NoteFirst NoteExpress
×
提示
您的信息不完整,为了账户安全,请先补充。
现在去补充
×
提示
您因"违规操作"
具体请查看互助需知
我知道了
×
提示
确定
请完成安全验证×
copy
已复制链接
快去分享给好友吧!
我知道了
右上角分享
点击右上角分享
0
联系我们:info@booksci.cn Book学术提供免费学术资源搜索服务,方便国内外学者检索中英文文献。致力于提供最便捷和优质的服务体验。 Copyright © 2023 布克学术 All rights reserved.
京ICP备2023020795号-1
ghs 京公网安备 11010802042870号
Book学术文献互助
Book学术文献互助群
群 号:481959085
Book学术官方微信