Investing in remedial work to fix the worst quality homes in England could deliver savings of more than £1.5bn per year for NHS and social care budgets, new research has found.

Research from the Centre for Ageing Better has indicated that unsafe homes headed by someone aged over 55 are costing the NHS £595m in treatment costs for injuries or illness linked to poor-quality housing.

According to the Building Research Establishment’s research on behalf of the charity the Centre for Ageing Better, the most common category one hazard for older people’s homes is excess cold. Addressing this issue in every home where the head is over 55 would result in savings to the NHS of £325m per year.