Summer strain: What impact are heatwaves having on the NHS, patients and staff?

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By Daniel Pye

Doctors have faced three heatwaves so far this summer, as the NHS has struggled to meet rising clinical demand.

Almost 3,000 people are thought to have died from heat-related causes during the intense heat of May and June in England and Wales, and hospitals have declared critical incidents as equipment and systems have buckled.

Now doctors have called for the NHS to be better prepared for future heatwaves in the face of climate change.

Doctors.net.uk looks at the impact of high levels of heat on staff and patients, the protocols that hospitals follow during heatwaves and what can the NHS do to prepare for a future of more extreme heat?

How many deaths are being linked to this summer’s heat?

New research from the Imperial College London, the Met Office and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine has found that more than 2,700 excess deaths have been linked to the May and June heatwaves.