London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Oct 04, 2025

UK heatwave: NHS braced as minister says temperatures could hit 40C

UK heatwave: NHS braced as minister says temperatures could hit 40C

Kit Malthouse urges people to look out for vulnerable as NHS absences in England rise amid surging Covid cases
Ministers are preparing for a surge in demand on the NHS and other essential services ahead of a heatwave that could result in record-breaking temperatures in Britain.

The Met Office has issued an amber extreme heat warning across much of England and Wales from Sunday to Tuesday, with temperatures expected to exceed 35C at their peak in southern, central and eastern areas of England.

After chairing a meeting of the Cobra emergency civil contingencies committee in Whitehall, Kit Malthouse, the Cabinet Office minister, admitted that health services could come under increased pressure and warned that temperatures could hit 40C.

“The key thing we can do is prepare the government services for what may be a surge in demand – not least the health service and elsewhere – but also, critically, communicate that the first line of defence is actually individual behavioural change,” he told BBC Radio 4’s The World at One.

“People need to take care, do all the stuff they would do when it is very hot – wear a hat, drink water – but critically also the most vulnerable groups – the elderly, those with cardiovascular problems and the very young – that people look out for them and take care.”

He urged members of the public to be alert to vulnerable people, to check on neighbours and to take precautions.

“We are asking people if they have an elderly neighbour, particularly if they live alone, it would be a neighbourly thing to check up on them and make sure they are looking after themselves and have access to water,” he said.

“The current forecast is that we will be in the mid to high-30s, but there is a smaller possibility that we could exceed that and possibly hit 40C, which would be an all-time record.”

Age UK said the extreme heat could be particularly challenging for older people with existing health issues, especially those affecting their heart or lungs.

No 10 said there were “tried and tested” plans in the NHS in place for increasing staffing and that there were contingency measures either in place or ready to be enacted. “There have already been some coordination meetings at official level across government,” Boris Johnson’s spokesperson said.

“This is a progression of that to ensure that, as we come into what are predicted to be the hottest days, that the necessary mitigations and actions are in place or being put in place.

“A lot of this is making sure the public are aware of the advice that is available – particularly those with young children or vulnerable family members.”

It came as new figures showed that staff absences at NHS hospitals in England were at their highest level for nearly three months amid rising Covid infections.

An average of 22,918 hospital staff in England were off work each day in the week to 6 July – a rise of 30% on the previous week – either because they were self-isolating or sick with Covid-19.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
×