Damp and Mould in the Home – a Public Health Issue

Dear Colleague,

An estimated 962,000 to 6.5 million (4% to 27%) households in England are living with damp and/or mould, which can pose serious risks to health, including, but not limited to, the development or exacerbation of several respiratory diseases, conditions and symptoms.

In September 2023, the Government published a report entitled Understanding and addressing the Health Risks of Damp and Mould in the Home. Aligned to this guidance, in December 2023, London’s health system partners published the London Damp and Mould Checklist (available on MECCLink London).

The Checklist provides evidence and resources to help health and care professionals:

• understand and recognise damp and mould concerns and issues,
• identify those individuals and households most vulnerable to the health risks of damp and mould exposure,
• provide appropriate advice and take action.

To raise awareness of these resources, and to promote their usage, the London Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH London) is hosting a joint webinar with Department of Health & Social Care and Department for Levelling Up, Communities & Housing for interested stakeholders to explore damp and mould in the home as a public health issue, together with the expected impacts of the Government guidance and legislative framework.

Date and time: 21 March 2024, 3pm – 4.30pm

Attendees will hear from representatives from across the health system, including:

• Julie Billett, Deputy Regional Director, OHID London (Chair)
• Gladys Xavier, Director of Public Health and Commissioning, London Borough of Redbridge
• Thul Khan, UCL Centre for Access to Justice
• Prof Sani Dimitroulopoulou, Principal Environmental Public Health Scientist – Indoor Environments, UK Health Security Agency
• Josephine Ozols-Riding – Housing and Health Programme Manager, Department Health & Social Care
• Other representatives to be confirmed

This event is for those working in central and local government, in the NHS and social care, science, research, data, academia and the charitable and voluntary sector. If you or a colleague are interested in attending this webinar, please register here: https://bit.ly/3uXif1G.

You should also use this form to pre-submit any questions you would like to ask the panel.

You will be able to join the webinar on 21 March 2024, 3pm following registration (via a Teams link, which you will be sent). Please feel free to share this invitation with colleagues you think may be interested in attending.