Lib Dems demand Govt 'heatproof' the NHS as ward temperatures surpass 40°C

EMBARGO: Immediate Release

Extreme heat inside NHS hospitals is creating dangerously hostile environments for both patients and healthcare workers, according to alarming new findings from the Liberal Democrats.

A Freedom of Information request submitted by the party has revealed that all but one of the 33 NHS trusts that monitored and recorded room temperatures during recent warm spells breached the official NHS recommended maximum safety threshold of 28°C.

During July, average maximum ward temperatures soared to 31.9°C across reporting facilities. Nearly half of the trusts (16) recorded extreme temperatures exceeding 33°C - the highest temperature was documented at the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, which peaked at a life-threatening 41.8°C. Nursing staff have repeatedly reported severe heat stress, including nausea, exhaustion, and dizziness while carrying out critical patient care.

Official NHS England guidance recommends maximum ward temperatures of no more than 28°C, with even stricter thresholds of 25°C mandated for sensitive medical areas, such as recovery wards and birthing rooms. However, ageing infrastructure and a lack of modern climate control leave facilities unable to handle rising summer temperatures.

The Liberal Democrats are therefore calling for a new NHS Rapid Adaptation Unit to urgently heatproof the most heat-affected hospitals and care homes, a legal requirement for all care homes to provide air conditioning to protect vulnerable residents during heatwaves, and for hospitals to be updated with modern cooling, ventilation and climate-resilient infrastructure, while retrofitting older NHS buildings, to withstand future heatwaves.

Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson, Helen Morgan MP, said:

"Hospitals across the country are breaching NHS maximum temperature limits - putting vulnerable patients at risk, making it harder for NHS staff to provide care and placing even more pressure on a health service that has been stretched to breaking point. It is incredibly and unbelievably dangerous.

“The Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to launch a new NHS Rapid Adaptation Unit to heatproof vulnerable facilities, make air conditioning mandatory in all care homes, and urgently upgrade NHS buildings to withstand future heatwaves. We need to make our hospitals fit for the future.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

As first reported by the Times here.

Freedom of Information request:

Under the FOI act, I would like to request the maximum temperatures recorded on wards in your Trust in a. June 2026 and b. July 2026.

Responses here.

Reports of nurses fainting during shifts due to high heat as reported here