Ambulance crews say they are treating an increasing number of patients who are falling ill because they are unable to heat their homes.
Rising gas and electricity prices have forced many people to turn off the heating during the winter months.
Scottish Ambulance Service staff say they are seeing people who are sick because their homes are too cold or they can’t afford to eat properly.
Paramedics say they are usually called by friends or family.
Many people are dealing with a “toxic cocktail” of rising energy bills, rising inflation and high interest rates this winter, charities have warned.
The Scottish Government estimates that around 36% of households in Scotland will now be in fuel poverty following the recent energy price hike.
Glasgow Ambulance workers Tanya Hoffman and Will Green say most weeks they see patients who are faced with a tough choice between food and warmth.
They have been in homes that feel ice cold, where patients are clearly struggling to cope.
Tanya said that it is sad to see that people are living like this.
“There are a lot of patients I go out with who can’t afford to buy food. They have to choose one or the other, heat or eat.
“So they’ll sit quietly at home and it’s usually a relative or a friend who will call for them because they don’t want to bother anyone.
“They’re sitting there [and] you can’t get a temperature from them because they’re so cold.
“So you take them to the hospital because they’re not managing. You know if you leave that person at home, they’re probably going to die from the fact that they’re so cold.”
