A thousand died from high temperatures in hospitals and care homes last year as Lib Dems call on Govt to “heatproof the NHS”

EMBARGO: 22:30 Sunday 10th August

• The Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to ‘heatproof the NHS’ by ensuring all care homes are air conditioned, with a new NHS taskforce that would modernise the NHS estate to protect vulnerable people from soaring temperatures
• This comes after House of Commons Library research commissioned by the Liberal Democrats found almost 500 people died in care homes and over 470 died in hospitals from excessive heat last year
• Heatwaves pose an especially serious risk for older people, with a 145% increase in deaths due to excess heat for 65+ in the five years from 2018 to 2023

There were close to 1,000 excessive heat deaths in healthcare settings last year, House of Commons Library research commissioned by the Liberal Democrats reveals as the Party calls on the Government to “heatproof the NHS”.

Heatwaves pose a serious public health threat with older people and those suffering from health conditions particularly at risk from extreme heat. The research found that an estimated 1,311 people died due to excessive heat in 2024. Almost 500 people died in care homes and over 470 died in hospitals. In the five years from 2018 to 2023, there was a 145% increase in deaths due to excess heat for people aged 65+.

House of Commons Library research also revealed a staggering rise in the number of ‘overheating incidents’ in NHS buildings. In 2023/24, there were 4,451 NHS overheating incidents, a near 50% increase on 2016/17’s figure of 2,980, the first year that the data was recorded. An NHS overheating incident refers to a situation where the daily maximum temperature in an occupied ward or clinical area within an NHS hospital or healthcare facility exceeds 26°C. A recent report from the UK Health Alliance on Climate Change also found that 90% of NHS buildings in England are vulnerable to overheating.

The chances of recording temperatures over 40 degrees in the UK are now ‘rapidly increasing’ according to the Met Office, and Spring 2025 was the hottest on record in the UK. Amber weather warnings have already been issued by the Met Office for the coming days as the country braces for its fourth heatwave of the summer.

The Lib Dems are pressing the Government to urgently prepare the country for more extreme weather by ‘heatproofing the NHS’, together with a new legal requirement that all care homes provide air conditioning or alternative cooling systems, to ensure temperatures do not risk the lives of vulnerable occupants. The Party would establish a new “crumbling hospitals taskforce” to protect patients from deteriorating, unsafe and dangerously hot NHS buildings.

The taskforce would coordinate with hospitals to drive down the costs of procuring new ventilation and air conditioning, and develop a strategy to guarantee “cool wards” for vulnerable patients in every hospital, as part of its work to fix the NHS maintenance backlog. This follows the Party's call for the Government to open up community ‘cool hubs’ in public spaces with air-conditioning, such as gyms, to provide relief for vulnerable people in summer heatwaves.

Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Energy Security and Net Zero, Pippa Heylings MP has said:

“Stifling heat is deadly - especially for elderly and vulnerable people. And yet, the very buildings which are meant to protect them from sweltering temperatures are shockingly ill-equipped and pose significant health risks.

“Heatproofing our hospitals and care homes could actually make the difference between life and death for the most vulnerable people.

“The Government has got to get on with upgrading our health settings to make sure they are cool and safe.”

Health and Social Care Liberal Democrat Spokesperson, Helen Morgan MP has said:

“It is appalling to think of our most vulnerable dying in what are meant to be safe settings simply because this country is ill-equipped to deal with heatwaves.

“In light of soaring temperatures, the Government must ensure that our NHS and social care system are ready to keep people cool and well-cared for.

“This starts with a legal requirement for air conditioning or cooling heat pumps in care homes and a taskforce that delivers guaranteed cool wards in our hospitals, to prevent further unnecessary deaths.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

The House of Commons Library research can be found here.

Met Office, Spring and Summer 2025 warmest and Sunniest on record.

Met Office, Met Office report details rising likelihood of UK hot days.

BBC News, Fourth heatwave of summer set to bring temperatures above 30C next week.

UKHCC, Building a climate-resistant health system in the UK.

The table below provides the number of overheating incidents since 2016/17 which was the first year this information was published. Source: NHS Digital, ERIC 2023/24, Table 5.