Last month, my father spent two weeks as an inpatient in a south-west London hospital where he was receiving treatment for a complex fractured pelvis. His stay coincided with record-breaking temperatures across the country, which caused critical problems with machinery, IT systems and overcrowding in some hospitals.
My dad, who is 70, was treated on two different wards and, as far as I’m aware, neither of them had air conditioning. As the days went on, and the temperatures climbed, the wards became darker and darker as staff attempted to keep things as cool as possible by closing blinds, doors and windows. At this stage, the night-time temperatures were at record highs of around 23.5°C.
The areas of the hospital where I experienced almost unbearable heat were the entrances and ground floor outpatient clinics and cafes. The automatic doors at the hospital’s main entrance were permanently open, creating a wall of boiling air for anyone walking in or out to pass through. Patients in wheelchairs waiting for transport home, sometimes for hours at a time, looked hot beyond belief. The cafe staff had a huge fan blowing on to them but were also taking every opportunity to leave their counter and sit somewhere cooler, away from the open doors.
