Illnesses related to cold soar, Labour says

Mr Burnham will point to 109,000 more emergency admissions made across English hospitals in 2012/13 where circulatory or respiratory diseases were identified as the primary diagnoses. The figure represents a 10 per cent increase on 2009/10, the year before the coalition came to power and a series of wide-sweeping NHS reforms were put in motion.

The former health secretary will say the figures provide tangible proof of “the effect on A&E of the cost-of-living crisis and rising energy bills”.

In a State of the NHS address in Birmingham, Mr Burnham will say: “This is the tragic human cost of David Cameron’s failure to stand up to the energy companies.

“Only Labour’s promise to freeze energy bills will put an end to the scandal of cold homes and protect older people from poor health.”

According to Labour’s analysis, 1,176,353 people went to A&E with circulatory and respiratory problems in 2012/13, up from 1,067,134 in 2009/10 - a difference of 109,219. They blame this partly on rising household bills, which have gone up by an average of £300 since the election.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that an estimated 31,100 excess winter deaths occurred in England and Wales in 2012/13 – a 29 per cent increase compared with the previous winter.

The World Health Organisation reported low intensity for influenza viruses in the winter of 2011/2012 but last year 11 countries saw a longer than normal influenza series with higher death rates.

A Department for Energy and Climate Change spokesman said most of Europe saw increased cases of flu and respiratory problems last winter, along with cold weather. He added: “This Government is working to help vulnerable people with their energy bills through the warm home discount, providing a £135 rebate on electricity bills to more than 1.2 million of the poorest pensioners, winter fuel payments and cold weather payments.”