The UK Health Security Agency (UKSHA) has urged health and social care providers to "ensure they are prepared" after issuing its second-ever red heat alert warning for much of England.
The red alert will be in place from the small hours of tomorrow morning (1am Wednesday 24 June) until 11pm on Thursday (25 June), covering the West Midlands, East Midlands, South East, South West, London, and East of England.
The second-ever red heat-health-alert since July 2022 was issued after the agency announced its third amber warning for 2026 on Thursday, which is currently in place covering the East of England, South East, South West and London, alongside a yellow alert for the West Midlands and East Midlands until 8pm on Tuesday 23 June.
A yellow-alert is also in place for the next two days for the North East, North West, South West, and Yorkshire and the Humber regions.
A red heat-health-alert means a severe heat wave that could have 'impacts beyond health and social care', the agency said, and warned it could have 'potential effects on transport systems, food, water, energy supplies and businesses, and indicates a risk to life for even the healthy population'.
An amber alert means that the agency believes that 'significant impacts are likely across health and social care services due to the high temperatures'. These include a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions, a likely increased demand on all health and social care services, internal temperatures in care settings (hospitals and care homes) may exceed the recommended threshold for clinical risk assessment, the heat affecting the ability of the workforce to deliver services, indoor environments overheating increasing the risk to vulnerable people living independently in community and care settings and issues managing medicines.
The UKSHA also warned that the high temperatures - which are expected to reach 40 degrees in some areas of southern England - are also likely to lead to 'staffing issues due to external factors (for example, affecting transport), and increased demand for power exceeding capacity.
In areas under a yellow warning, the UKSHA said there 'minor impacts are likely across health and social care services, including 'an increased use of healthcare services by vulnerable people and a greater risk to life of vulnerable people.
UKSHA head of extreme events and health protection Agostinho Sousa said that "sustained periods of warm weather can result in serious health outcomes, especially for older adults" and urged health and social care services in affected regions to "ensure they are prepared."
Guidance and links to all UKSHA recommendations for adult social care providers on how to respond to different levels of heat-health alerts are here.
