Nurses report ‘inhumane’ heat in British hospitals and care homes

LONDON – Nurses are collapsing at work as they endure extreme heat in buildings that are proving unfit for the record temperatures gripping Britain.

Conditions are “inhumane,” the Royal College of Nursing said on Aug 13.

Members have reported temperatures in excess of 30 deg C in British hospital wards and care homes, often without access to air conditioning, fans or even to windows that open, the RCN said.

As Britain sweats through its fifth heat wave of the year, record temperatures are taking their toll on many of the country’s critical services.

Hospitals and social care buildings are “utterly unprepared for extreme temperatures,” Nicola Ranger, RCN general secretary and chief executive, said in a statement.

“It’s becoming an impossible and inhumane place to work or receive care.”

Parts of Britain are expected to reach temperatures as high as 38 deg C on Aug 14, with the Met Office warning that this summer is on track to be the hottest on record.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham convened an emergency meeting of ministers and senior officials on Aug 12 to discuss how to address the pressure now facing emergency workers and farmers due to the relentless heat.

Ranger said the conditions in Britain’s hospitals and care homes show that “climate change isn’t some abstract concept, but a serious threat to people’s health and the services they rely on.”

The RCN cited examples of members physically buckling under the strain.

One nurse working in a ward without ventilation ended up needing emergency treatment at the same hospital after collapsing from dehydration.

Another said the working environment was “not fit for humans,” noting that a blood machine and medicine trolley had to be removed to prevent its contents from overheating.

In another case, a member told the RCN that hospital management had banned fans and portable air-conditioning units because of problems with the electrical supply.

Yvette Cooper, the UK’s health and social care secretary, said in an emailed response to a request for comment that National Health Service staff are “doing a remarkable job” in light of the extreme heat.

“But I have also been clear that the NHS now needs to plan for summer pressures in the way we currently plan for winter pressures,” she said.

“That includes making sure buildings are more resilient in these new extreme heat conditions as well as responding to additional patient needs.”

Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, said in a separate statement published on Aug 13 that firefighters and ambulance services faced unusually high levels of demand due to the heat.

In July, the London Fire Brigade received a record of 27,580 emergency calls.

That’s roughly 3,000 more than in July 2022, when temperatures in Britain reached 40 deg C for the first time.

On Aug 5 alone, the fire brigade received over 1,000 emergency calls, including more than 200 calls for grass fires.

During one of the heat waves in June, the London Ambulance Service fielded over 53,000 calls, surpassing the number received when the Covid-19 pandemic was at its height in March 2020.

“Our firefighters and ambulance crews are working around the clock and continue to face extreme pressure this week,” the mayor said. BLOOMBERG