NHS urged to prepare for annual summer heat pressures as A&E demand reaches winter levels

The NHS should prepare for annual summer pressures in the same way it plans for winter, Health Secretary Yvette Cooper has said, as increasingly frequent heatwaves place growing strain on healthcare services.

Speaking after visiting an accident and emergency (A&E) department in Yorkshire, Cooper said NHS staff were experiencing levels of pressure that would previously have been associated with the winter flu season. She said future investment in NHS infrastructure should improve the health service’s resilience to prolonged periods of extreme heat.

The warning comes after doctors highlighted the impact of repeated heatwaves on hospitals across England. During recent periods of extreme temperatures, some NHS trusts reported failures of MRI scanners, radiotherapy equipment, cooling systems and IT infrastructure, while wards experienced dangerously high temperatures and emergency departments faced increased patient demand.

According to estimates from the UK Health Security Agency, around 2,877 heat-related deaths occurred during the May and June heatwaves, putting England on course to record its highest number of heat-related deaths in a single summer. Older people, young children and those with underlying health conditions remain at greatest risk during periods of prolonged high temperatures.

Medical organisations have also raised concerns about the condition of the NHS estate, warning that many hospitals were not designed to cope with increasingly frequent and intense heatwaves. Calls have been made for greater investment in cooling systems, ventilation and climate-resilient healthcare infrastructure to protect both patients and staff.

The government says adapting the NHS to cope with hotter summers will form part of wider efforts to improve the resilience of public services as extreme weather events become more common.

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