Climate emergency: 90% of NHS buildings are vulnerable to overheating, warns UK health alliance | The BMJ

The NHS is increasingly exposed to the impacts of extreme heat, but is dangerously unequipped to adapt, an alliance representing more than one million UK health professionals has warned.1 The UK Health Alliance on Climate Change has called on the UK and devolved governments urgently to strengthen the health system’s resilience to rising temperatures, warning that climate adaptation efforts have fallen behind and that failing to act disregards patient safety. The alliance’s report highlights that more than 90% of NHS buildings in England are vulnerable to overheating, with some hospital wards recording indoor temperatures above 30°C even when outdoor temperatures were just 22°C. NHS England recommends maximum ward temperatures of 28°C, and 25°C in sensitive areas like recovery or birthing rooms. The consequences are already being felt, says the report. Overheating incidents at NHS sites in England nearly doubled from 2980 in 2016-17 to 5554 in 2021-22. During the July 2022 heatwave, IT

The NHS is increasingly exposed to the impacts of extreme heat, but is dangerously unequipped to adapt, an alliance representing more than one million UK health professionals has warned.1 The UK Health Alliance on Climate Change has called on the UK and devolved governments urgently to strengthen the health system’s resilience to rising temperatures, warning that climate adaptation efforts have fallen behind and that failing to act disregards patient safety. The alliance’s report highlights that more than 90% of NHS buildings in England are vulnerable to overheating, with some hospital wards r