National Energy Action (NEA)

NEA provide training for professionals who work with the Affordable Warmth Partnership so that they can deliver accurate information to their clients and identify clients who would benefit through the scheme.

NEA's Primary Care Trust (PCT) Energy Champion scheme provides the opportunity to develop a project aimed at helping PCTs integrate fuel poverty policies and programmes into the delivery of their local plans, whilst ensuring that each PCT establishes mechanisms to bring about coordinated referrals from health service staff to energy efficiency schemes. NEA offers training and support to achieve NEA/City and Guilds 6176 Energy Awareness qualification, enabling energy champions to deliver high quality energy advice, as well as £1000 towards the project costs.

Wolverhampton's PCT Champion Hillary Williams, is busy raising awareness amongst health workers of fuel poverty and cold, damp related illnesses. Training, which is tailored to suit the specialties of different groups of health professionals, has been enthusiastically received by community paediatricians and pharmacists, nursery nurses, Sure Start staff, health visitors and children's nurses, with further plans to train community midwives and neo-natal unit staff.