Has Britain’s cost-of-living crisis led to a surge of burns victims being treated by the NHS as hard-up families seek cheaper ways to keep warm?

A rise in burn injuries may have been sparked by the cost of living crisis as people tried cheaper ways to keep warm, plastic surgeons have claimed.

Researchers collected data from emergency departments in eastern Scotland between September 2022 and March 2023, when heating bills were soaring.

They found that hot water burns increased by 400 percent, while other scald injuries increased by 97 percent. Heating appliances that caused contact burns also increased by more than 200 percent.

Liusaidh McClymont, one of the study’s authors and a specialist in plastic surgery working for NHS Tayside, says: “Our department saw many more cases of burns and scalds compared to the previous winter.”

They found that hot water burns increased by 400 percent, while other scald injuries increased by 97 percent.

He will present the findings at the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons’ annual conference later this year, suggesting that the cost of living crisis may have caused people to turn to alternative means of heating their homes.

‘We are concerned that rising bills have caused more people to use alternative means of heating. For example, hot water bottles or portable electric heaters,” explains Mrs McClymont. ‘Hot water bottles have an expiration date and using them for more than three years can cause leaks and burns. Over time, the rubber deteriorates.

“Electric heaters can also get very hot and cause contact burns if not used carefully.”

The study found that patients were scalded while filling the bottle, screwing on the cap or when it burst, which can occur when overfilling or sitting on it.

Manufacturing dates are usually stamped on a small “daisy” on the bottle, but many people don’t know this, researchers say.

The social media-driven trend of cooking meals in an electric kettle, such as omelettes and noodles, may also have been behind the rise in injuries, causing scorching food to spill onto the skin.

Mrs McClymont adds: ‘It is important that people are aware of safety issues when it comes to heating homes and cooking. Contact burns can be minimized by avoiding the use of heaters after consuming alcohol.

“In addition, people with diabetes who have lost feeling in their feet should be educated about the safe use of foot warmers, as they may not realize they are suffering from injuries.”