From 3h agoYvette Cooper says NHS must prepare for regular heatwaves, just as it plans for winter crisis every yearYvette Cooper, the health secretary, has said that she has told NHS England to start planning ahead for summer heatwaves, just as it prepares every year for a crisis in the winter.In an article published in the Mirror, Cooper says global heating means Britain will face heatwaves like the one we are going through now “with increasing frequency and increasing intensity”. And this puts extra pressure on the NHS, she says, referencing a report that said there were almost 3,000 excess deaths because of the heat in May and June.Cooper, who is attending the meeting of the Cobra emergency committee this afternoon to discuss the extreme heat, says:
double quotation markDuring the heatwaves in May and June, we saw more than 2,800 lives lost because of the extreme heat, and this year is on track to see the highest ever number of heat-related deaths. My thoughts go out to every family who has lost loved ones …
Our NHS is used to gearing up for these kinds of pressures in winter. But we are going to need the same level of preparation in future summers. I have told the NHS to start drawing up summer plans now in the way they have traditionally done for winter.
