Emergency departments brace for patient surge as heatwave intensifies

Yui Mok/PA Wire

By Erin Dean

Rocketing temperatures could heap further pressure on already struggling emergency departments (EDs), a medical college has warned.

The extreme heatwave could also pose risks to patients stuck waiting in ambulances outside busy hospitals, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) said.

A hospital in Surrey has already declared a critical incident due to high levels of demand on emergency services, with the issue exacerbated by the weather.

On Monday, a rare red heat-health warning was issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) for six regions in England.

The warning indicates a “risk to life for even the healthy population” and has only been issued once before, in 2022.

It covers the West Midlands, East Midlands, South East, South West, London, and East of England from 1am on Wednesday, 24 June, until 11pm on Thursday, 25 June.

The Met Office warned a “heat-dome” settling over western Europe could bring temperatures of nearly 40C by Wednesday, with this latest heatwave expected to surpass the record for June of 35.6C set in Hampshire in 1976.