Dealing with the worst housing hazards could save the NHS in Wales £67 million a year.

Speaking in the Bryn Jones Memorial Lecture, Stephen Battersby, environmental health and housing consultant, will say that exported costs of poor housing such as time off work and poorer educational attainment costs Wales a further £100 million a year.

Half the £1.5 billion needed to address poor housing in Wales is associated with tackling cold homes.

Dr Battersby will ask some big questions - do those most in need of support and help know about the health that is available? Are Government and local authority interventions focussed on the greatest risk and are they addressing health inequalities?

Speaking ahead of the conference, Julie Barratt, Director of CIEH Wales, said: “Evidence shows that a warm dry home is fundamental to good health. The costs of poor housing is huge, not just for individuals in terms of their health, wellbeing and potential, but for the NHS, for employers and for the country as a whole. In the current economic climate we need to make sure that we are targeting interventions that deliver the best results at every level.”
The conference, now in its eighth year, will feature top class international speakers and will be a major debate about how public health should best be delivered. There are many facets to wellbeing and there are many ways in which public health initiatives underpin it.