Amber Heat Health Alert: supporting patients and staff during the hot weather
With a spell of very warm weather forecast over the coming days, we are planning for the additional demands that prolonged high temperatures can place on our hospitals, our patients and our staff.
Our focus is on ensuring services continue to operate safely while providing the highest standard of care.
Preparations have been underway across the Trust to reduce the impact of the heat. Following previous periods of extreme temperatures, additional portable air conditioning units and dehumidifiers have been positioned in priority clinical areas. We are closely monitoring environments where heat could affect patient care or service delivery.
Supporting the wellbeing of our staff remains a key priority. Teams have access to drinking water, opportunities for regular breaks and measures to help keep cool where possible. Ice and chilled water are also being made available for both patients and colleagues to improve comfort during the hottest periods.
Where it is clinically appropriate, services will continue to make use of remote appointments, including telephone and video consultations, to reduce unnecessary travel and support patients during the hot weather.
We anticipate that pressures may continue while temperatures remain high and will keep the situation under close review, working alongside our health and care partners to respond to any emerging issues.
We also encourage everyone to take sensible precautions during the hot weather by:
- Drinking plenty of fluids
- Limiting time in direct sun during the warmest part of the day
- Checking on family members, neighbours and others who may be more vulnerable
We would like to thank all of our colleagues for their continued dedication and professionalism in maintaining safe, compassionate care throughout this period of increased operational pressure.